Eden took another bite of her dessert, a Tiramisu, and almost spewed it all out because she started laughing. She said in between laughs, “And then, you know, Sophia didn’t talk to me for a week.”“No I could tell she was the only sane one between all of you,” chuckled Bennett. “I bet she didn’t want to be a part of it in the first place.”“YES. She was so against the whole thing, but she came through anyway. So, not so wise after all.”“You’re the one to talk about being wise, you failed at a kidnapping so bad. It was the worst abduction in the history of badly planned abductions,” said Bennett and laughed as he took another sip of his wine.Eden and Bennett had been sitting in the cafe for about 2 hours, just drinking and talking. Eden felt like he was an easy conversationalist, she had never noticed this personality trait of his because she has always either been blinded with hatred or a mad desire for him. She never tried to truly look into what kind of person Bennett really was.
Bennett’s Point of View:Neither Bennett nor Eden had planned the evening to be romantic, they had only hoped to get to know each other better, and find a place in their conscious to feel comfortable around each other. If they had to spend 5 years together, they needed to be on good terms, and not constantly in disagreement with each other. But on the tower, as Eden looked down at the city, with her eyes sparkling with astonishment, Bennett felt like he wanted to hold on to the feeling of seeing Eden happy. He wanted to be the reason for her happiness, but he knew that Eden did not feel the same. She was too young to decide what she wanted for herself, and she had still to find out who she really was or who she wanted to be. Bennett did not want to get in the way of her self-improvement. He thought this because of how well their date had gone. He knew it would take a little mor
Eden said goodbye to Bennett and told him she’d see her in 5 days, and walked to her suite, thinking about what Bennett had said.‘What if we don’t stop?’What if we really don’t stop? thought Eden, as she locked the door and kept the key on the coffee table. She stopped her thoughts from going any further and went to her room to take a nice bath. She did not make the mistake of going to bed naked again.Eden wore her nightgown and slipped between the bedsheets. She was slightly tired and drunk, but she could not sleep. She tossed and turned in the bed until 1 AM. She needed to sleep since she had to catch an early train to Florence. Bennett had offered his driver to take her to Florence, but she insisted that she wanted to travel alone, and completely on her own.Eden shut her eyes close, wanting to sleep immediately, but it was no use. She knew what was making her night sleepless. Bennett. She thought about touching herself, but that would only mean fueling the fire that burnt in he
Eden had her lunch in the hotel restaurant. She did not talk to Bennett or see him after she left his room in the morning. She felt extremely humiliated for doing what she did while she was under influence of the alcohol. She was hoping to forget everything she did, the way she threw herself at Bennett and tried to sleep with him. Eden knew that the alcohol did not make her do it, it only made her confident enough to take what she herself wanted, a mere catalyst for the desires that she had been suppressing. But she was better off suppressing them.Eden did a light lunch, a simple grilled chicken salad, and water. She was still hung over and did not need to feel heavy for traveling to Florence. She had only brought one big suitcase with her, she didn’t need much to wear for just 7 days. When Eden was going back to her room to get her suitcase and head for the train station, she saw Bennett waiting for her outside her room. She looked at him and her heartbeat fastened. What is he doin
Eden and Bennett stared at the ceiling, panting heavily, lying next to each other with the quilts covering their bodies. Eden’s eyes were closed and she did not want to move, talk, or get up, she just wanted to lie there and hold on to the feeling as long as she could. She felt like her entire body was on fire. Bennett’s voice broke her thoughts, “That was amazing.”Eden smiled and turned to him, placing her arm on Bennett’s chest. “We shouldn't have stopped ourselves before.”“That’s one thing you and I agree on,” chuckled Bennett.Eden looked at Bennett, admiring and analyzing his facial features. He had high cheekbones and slightly hollow cheeks, a piercing jawline, and a small chin cleft that she hadn’t noticed before. His face was extremely symmetrical and handsome. Sometimes, Eden could not believe how beautifully Bennett’s face was carved. She suddenly felt an urge to feel it for herself. She moved her hand from his chest to his cheek and started caressing it with her thumb.“
Eden lay in her bed for an hour. She felt betrayed by Bennett. He had been getting information through her housemaid even a day before their marriage. Things can’t ever go right for us, she thought. Finally, she had started liking Bennett, and started imagining that it is possible to not have a divorce, but after knowing what he did, she could not be with him.She heard a knock on the door and Bennett entered. He was the last person she wanted to see. He slowly walked in and sat on the edge of the bed, looking at Eden, who was staring at him wide-eyed, wondering why he was there.Bennett said softly, “I just want to explain.”Eden did not say anything, cueing him to go on. “I think it is mutual understanding between us that neither of us trusted each other in the beginning. You didn’t because I was blackmailing you, and I didn’t because, well, you had kidnapped me,” Bennett chuckled sadly.Eden sat up, staring directly at Bennett with an emotionless face. “Is that what you came for?
Bennett’s Point of View:Bennett sat alone in his room after Eden asked him to leave. He felt like he should not have told Eden that he knew what her father did. He had felt a sudden surge of anger as he lay there with her, he wanted to assure her that he would take revenge on her father, that he would destroy him for her. All he wanted to do was make Eden feel like she could always count on him for protecting her. He didn’t know that it would blow back on him this hard. Bennett realized that spying on her in her own home and violating her privacy was not the right thing to do. He admitted to himself that he may have been obsessed with her and did what he had without giving it too much thought. In his defense, he wanted to make sure that Eden would not plan to do something like this again with another man, he did not trust her, but he knew it was not his place.Eden and he had discussed how they cannot indulge in any physical relationship, and they had perfectly valid reasons as to w
Eden reached Florence from Milan in 2 hours. The Eurostar train stopped at the Santa Maria Novella, the central railway station of Florence. Santa Maria Novella is situated in the historical center of Florence. The Eurostar from Milan, Turin, Venice, and Rome also arrives at this station. Arriving at this station it was possible for Eden to visit Florence's historical center without taking a taxi or bus. The Historic Centre of Florence can be perceived as a unique social and urban achievement, the result of persistent and long-lasting creativity, which includes museums, churches, buildings, and artworks of immeasurable worth. Florence had an overwhelming influence on the development of architecture and the fine arts, first in Italy, and then in Europe. It is within the context of Florence that the concept of the Renaissance came to be. This heritage bestows upon Florence unique historical and aesthetic qualities.Eden decided to visit the Centre before booking a hotel room for the ni