“I would.” I shrug, then reach my hand forward to play with her hair. “But what I’m desperate to know is… would you as well?”
She bats my hand away and then pushes me aside, plopping back down into her chair. She bites her lip, her eyes darting away from me briefly. I can tell from how flushed she is, that look in her eye, that small amount of sweat forming in her hairline—that little threat woke something up in her.
She’s not humiliated or embarrassed by what I said… instead? It seems like we may be on the same page with something, although she won’t admit it out loud.
How interesting.
“Eat.”
Not meeting me in the eye, she picks up her fork and continues to stir around her vegetables.
I swear under my breath, not wanting to push her any further. She looked so sad, so helpless on the bed and, truthfully, I wanted to cheer her up as difficult as it is to admit. But our personalities are oil and water. I’m literally incapable of making her feel better despite my efforts.
Strained silence stifles the air as I make progress one bite at a time, contemplating my new lifestyle. I never realized how foreign living with someone would seem. Even as a young boy, I’ve always had my own space—Marco didn’t want me to live in his wing of the castle. I filled my life with books and a rotation of hobbies to keep me company. I’ve considered adopting a dog or a cat to add some life to my home, but having something dependent on me fills me with a feeling I can’t quite put my finger on. Resentment? Annoyance? Fear?
All I know is, Sofia is triggering this feeling in me by refusing to eat.
I sense his malevolent presence before I look up to see him. Marco.
Fuck.
He has been at Vincenzo’s bedside since the shooting or holed away in his wing, so I thought it would be safe coming out here with Sofia. He’s not going to approve of me taking her out here.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
I told him I was treating her horrifically, and here she is looking like a goddamn celebrity in this dress and this makeup.
He heads directly towards our table, his posse following close behind him. I didn’t think it was possible, but he looks more crazed than usual. And he hasn’t even looked at me once since I noticed him come out of the castle. His eyes have been on Sofia the whole time.
Sofia is completely unaware of the cyclone of shit forming in the atmosphere. My heart pounds in my chest as she continues to stir her food around despondently. He might fucking kill her.
Marco doesn’t greet us or even politely pause at the table. He immediately grabs Sofia by the arm, yanking her from her chair and looking her up and down.
I stand up as she looks in horror towards me.
“What the fuck is this, Alessandro?” He finally turns to look at me, spitting as he talks.
“Marco, this is Sofia. My wife.”
I never dropped my sarcasm habit around Marco despite it causing many beatings and various punishments growing up.
She flinches as his grip on her tightens. My mouth goes dry, and I feel helpless. I could shoot Marco in the head, then one of his guards would surely kill me, and that wouldn’t help her at all.
“Well, look at this beautiful glowing girl.” Marco purrs with hostility. “Alessandro has been giving you a life of luxury, hasn’t he? While my son lies in the infirmary, dying!”
She frantically shakes her head, any feistiness she had earlier, gone. “No. I’ve been so sad and scared this whole time. He took me out here only because I threatened to kill myself.”
Marco lets go of her and pulls his gun on her.
I swear my heart stops and time slows as Sofia drops to the ground in fear.
“Marco…”
“You shut the fuck up, Alessandro! You clearly can’t handle this situation, and I have to take care of it for you.” His cold eyes glare at me, his gun still aimed at her. “When she told you this, why didn’t you simply tie her up instead? Have one of your soldiers watch her twenty-four seven. Instead, you bring her outside for a little date night.” His lips curl into a cruel smile. “Wait… you actually like her, don’t you?”
He puts his gun back and begins pacing around. I keep my eyes away from Sofia, trying to remain as stoic as possible. Is theresomething in what this madman is saying? Do I have feelings for her?
I just thought about how much I hated the lifestyle change of having a wife living with me. Shouldn’t I be happy that Marco might kill her in the next few minutes?
