Chapter 3

Rosana followed him quietly. She was too traumatized to speak or notice that he was holding her with his bloodied hand. The same hand he had used in pulling out the man's heart.

When they finally arrived in their bedroom, Sergio opened the door and ushered her in. "Welcome home!"

She looked around the room in fright and finally turned to look at him. He was still standing behind the closed door, not making any attempt to step further into the room. She lowered her gaze to his hands and shivered when she saw it covered in blood.

"Why?" She croaked, tears shimmering in her eyes. "Why did you kill him?"

"He deserved to die, Amore"

"Aveva una famiglia" [He had a family]

Sergio scoffed and started walking towards her, causing her heartbeat to accelerate unusually. She took a step backward, trying to avoid him. If she had her way, she would've vanished completely.

"Do not try to run away from me, Bambolina" He groaned and took another step closer but she stepped away. She was shaking visibly and sobbing at the same time.

"No, stay away from me. You killed him... You..."

Before she could take another step backward, he caught her by the arm and pulled her to himself. "You cannot run away from me. Do not ever think you are capable of doing that!"

His voice was gravelly and it caused chills to run down her spine. She was so scared. She was scared of his cold voice, the deadly look in his eyes, his nearness... Everything about him scared the living hell out of her.

He finally stepped away from her and she heaved in relief. He had finally granted her wish, she thought to herself unknowing to her that he was only moving away so he could examine her wedding dress and how to take it off.

"Take it off" He ordered after what seemed like a minute. Rosana looked up at him in confusion, wondering what he was talking about. 

"No!"

"No? Let's see about that!" He stepped closer and began pulling the gown from all angles. He was on the verge of tearing it with his hands.

"Stop... Stop!" Rosana's voice quivered and tears of fright brimmed her vision. 

She couldn't stop crying because she witnessed a person being murdered for the first time in her life. Right in front of her, her newly wedded husband had tortured and murdered a man mercilessly. 

"Stop, please..."

"No... Stop touching me. Take your bloody hands off me!" His white shirt was stained too and there were prints of blood on his face. But he didn't care. All he cared about was how to get rid of her wedding gown which was now ruined by the blood on his hands.

"What did you just say?" He paused and looked down at her with dark metallic eyes.

"Stop touching me!"

He grabbed her neck and she gasped, her eyes widening in shock. That was the last thing she expected him to do.

"You should not make me do this on our wedding night, Bambolina. You are mine and I will take whatever I want, whenever I want, wherever I want, and however I want, till death do us part, Mi Amor"

His eyes were swimming in darkness and she felt a trail of shivers running down her spine just by his stare. Without warning, he crashed his lips on hers, his mouth encompassing hers.

With his hand still wrapped around her neck, he tilted her head and angled for deeper contact. "Kiss me properly!" 

But instead of that, she pushed him away and sent her shaky palm to his cheeks before she could even process it. Her body trembled in realization and her pulse pounded heavily. What has she done? She wondered in terror.

Sergio stilled. He couldn't believe he had just been slapped so hard. When he finally looked up at her, his eyes were bloodshot and dark. His hands were itching to retaliate so badly that they started hurting. 

"Mi dispiace. I... I am not used to people forcing themselves on me" [I'm sorry!] Rosana uttered, keeping her head up and shoulders high. It took everything in her to stifle the panic that sliced through her. 

"Non avresti mai dovuto farlo, Bambolina. Not even by mistake" [You should never have done that]

***

After hours of sitting and staring at the window, Rosana managed to slip out of her wedding gown and decided to take a shower. After taking a shower, she stepped out of the bathroom, wondering what she was going to wear. Her father had not even allowed her to pack her bags. 

She walked up to the wardrobe and threw it open. She needed to get dressed before Sergio returned from wherever he went. He had walked out of the room like an angry lion and Rosana was still scared of what he would do when he returned. 

To her surprise, there was plenty of female wear in the wardrobe ranging from different colors of underthings to sexy night wear and expensive dresses. Did Sergio get all those for her? She wondered. 

She heard a soft knock on the door and gasped in fright. Who could that be? She thought as she quickly dressed up. She grabbed one of Sergio's long coats and covered herself up because the nightwear was too revealing. 

"Good evening, My Lady" The older woman bowed once Rosana threw the door open. "Your dinner"

"Come in" The woman walked in and began setting the table. "Who are you?"

"I am Viola, My Lady. Your husband assigned me to take care of you"

"You can call me, Rosana. Rosa in short" She corrected but Viola shook her head immediately.

"I cannot do that, My Lady. The Don will have my head"

Rosana saw how terrified she looked and sighed. She couldn't blame the poor woman. She was also afraid of her own husband. 

"Where is he? Are we not supposed to have dinner together?"

"I am afraid I do not know, My Lady," Viola responded, still bowing. "But you have to eat before going to bed"

The response didn't soothe her nerves. She had anticipated to hear that Sergio was not going to have dinner with her. That she was never going to see him again.

Quietly, she started eating alone with Viola keeping her company. Rosana noticed she kept bowing and wouldn't speak unless she was spoken to. Poor woman, she thought. 

"Thank you for the meal, Viola, I enjoyed it" She lied. Viola smiled in satisfaction and started packing up the plates. "I want to go outside."

"It is late, My lady." 

Rosana frowned. She wanted to take a tour around the house and see if there were any chances of escape. 

"Can you lend me your cell phone? I want to call my mother and ask if everything is okay"

"I do not have a cellphone."

Rosana sighed in defeat. "Alright, then I will follow you around. I am bored and cannot stay here like a prisoner. Please do not tell me no, Viola, please!"

Viola could tell that Rosana was in deep distress. She felt sorry for her too. But she was scared of what Sergio would do when he found out that she had led his wife out of his room without his permission. 

"Per favore, Viola, I will be quiet. I will return as soon as you do not need me anymore" [Please]

Taking a deep breath, Viola responded. "Alright, My Lady."

Rosana followed her around, admiring the interior of the house. All the maids and soldiers they came across kept bowing to her. After some time, she decided to return to the room with Viola behind her.

"What was that?" Rosana asked. It was the sound of something pleading desperately. "Can you hear it?"

"My Lady I..."

Before she could complete what she was saying, Rosana dashed toward the direction the sound came from. When she finally got there, she froze in front of the slightly opened door.

"My Lady!" Viola whispered and rushed over. Without looking into the room, she shut the door and led Rosana away.

"Who is she?"

"I am sorry, My Lady..."

"I said—Who is she, Viola?" Rosana had seen the lady who knelt before Sergio but she couldn't see herface. 

"She... She is his mistress"

Rosana was dumbstruck. 

If Sergio had a Mistress, what then did he want with her?