“Go.”
She leans forward until her face is close to mine. “No.”
The utter disrespect she is showing towards me makes my anger roar to new heights and I can’t stop myself from doing what I do next.
I slap Susanna across the face.
The room goes silent until Susanna screeches and stands up. “You just slapped me!”
“I told you to get out.”
With a huff, she finally storms out of the kitchen. I remain behind as Luca walks her out of the house. When he comes back, I’m expecting to see him happy. I got rid of my sister. I stood up to her.
But instead, he looks upset… with me.
“You slapped her,” he states.
“I stood up to her. It’s what you wanted me to do.”
“Not like that. I don’t want you acting like your sister. If I had wanted her, I would have married her. But I chose you. You disappointed me this morning, Nina. Don’t stoop to her level.”
“But she wasn’t going away. I got her to go away.”
“Not like that. I want a wife who is poised and strong. Not one who acts like an immature little girl and slapping someone is immature.”
I stand up so fast, my chair falls to the ground. I don’t bother picking it back up. “You’ve killed people. You told me that yourself. You don’t get the right to judge me on this.”
“I’ve killed people for my job. Because it was necessary. Not because I enjoyed it.”
“And you think I enjoyed slapping my sister?”
“I think your sister is good at getting under your skin. When I have killed, it was professional. No emotion. But for you, your emotion is simmering and waiting to bubbleover. I don’t want that in a wife. You’re going to learn, Nina, how to conduct yourself. And I know the exact way to help you with that. Bend over the table.”
It takes me a moment to realize what he’s saying. “Why would I do that?”
“Because I’m going to spank you for being insubordinate. You need to learn how to conduct yourself and slapping your sister is not the way.”
“But spanking me is?” I ask as my heart rate spikes.
“It’s to teach you a lesson. I’m in control. I’m not going to spank you out of anger. But I want a wife I can be proud of and today, you showed me that I can’t be proud of you. So bend over the table.”
I cross my arms, trying to act defiant but I’m truly terrified. “And if I don’t?”
“Then I’ll spank you anyway. But at least this way, you’ll have some control over the situation.”
“Why are you doing this to me?”
He sighs and gently grabs my chin. “Because I see potential in you, Nina. I know you have the power to be the best wife any man could want. But you have to learn to let go. You have to stop acting like your sister. And you need to learn to be better. This will help get you there. Aren’t you tired of being angry like your sister is?”
The moment he asks me that, I know he’s right. I’ve always hated being like Susanna. Always hated how she could get under my skin and make me act like her. But I could never seem to let her go. Never seem to let my anger go.
But Luca wants to help me. And he is my husband now, which means I have to make the most out of this. Susanna would claw and fight her way out but for me? I should try a different approach. Maybe I need to just give in to fight my way out.
With a shaky inhale, I nod and Luca lets me go so I can bend over the table. It’s cold and hard against my stomach. Nothing comfortable about this.
Luca grabs the end of my nightgown and shoves it up over my waist and before I can object, he rips my underwear down. I gasp from the coolness in the air.
That and the fact that my bare backside is on full display for Luca to see.
