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
Eden looked up hotels to stay in on her phone, there were many good hotels nearby where she could stay. Since she was booking it for just herself, she did not want to waste money on expensive suits. She just booked a normal-sized room with a single bed and basic amenities in a hotel that was close to the Baptistry of San Giovanni. She wanted to visit in the morning since the inner architecture and designs were said to look the best during the daytime.She took a cab to the hotel and it took her about 20 minutes to reach. She had enjoyed her time traveling in the Centre, but she needed her baggage to be somewhere safe before she goes out again. After checking in her room and keeping her suitcase inside, Eden headed out for dinner, she had nothing to eat the whole day except breakfast and a few snacks on the train. She decided to treat herself to a nice, big dinner. Eden had already called ahead and made a reservation for one at one of the finest restaurants in Florence, Osteria dell’E
The next morning, at 7 AM, Eden walked out of the hotel and headed towards the lane where Leo had his shop set up. Eden’s route to the Baptistry was in the opposite direction, but for some reason, Eden walked in the direction of Leo’s shop. She wanted to see if he really was there. She was wearing a white floral sundress, with blue and purple flowers all over. It flowed from below her bust down to just above her knee. She wore brown ankle-length booths and carried a small sling bag that carried her phone, cards, and cash. She did not need much make-up, just enough to cover the bruise that was already disappearing.From a distance, she saw a familiar lean figure. It was Leo setting up his shop on the side of the road. He was wearing different clothes but the same black leather jacket. His long hair kept getting on his face every time he bent down to arrange the flowers. He stood up to push his hair back out of frustration and saw Eden walking toward him. As Eden got closer, a big smil
Eden gasped as she looked at the field of flowers. She looked longer to see that it was not only flowers but many crops too. She got off the Vespa and walked towards the garden of lilies, and noticed they were the exact ones that Leo gave her. The view was breathtaking and the smell was even better. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, taking in all the nature. The wind was light and cool, making the whole experience ten times better for Eden.Eden turned to Leo, who was leaning on his Vespa, smiling at her. “Like it?” he asked.“I love it, this is beautiful. Is this all yours?” Eden asked, still not recovered from the beauty of the scenery.“Not mine, my parents. But yes I do look after all this, so in a sense, I guess it is mine,” Leo replied. He got up and walked over to Eden, smiling ear to ear. “You can keep the pepper spray away, you know, I would never harm a beautiful flower-like you. Flowers are my favorite things, especially lilies now.”Eden smiled at him embarrassin