Chapter 4. The truth.

Emma Spencer.

A roar comes from his enormous chest and without thinking, I get scared of hearing it and I move away from him. Peter, realizing that he scared me, apologizes, saying that I am too good for Albert.

Of course, I know I am very good for Albert and that is precisely what makes me angry. The bastard was able to deceive me, me!

I thought I knew what I was doing when I chose him as my husband. I thought he would be a good father to Maddie, but no.

I was wrong and by God, how I hate being wrong. On paper, he was the right man, but in reality, he couldn’t be more opposite.

I sigh, absolutely defeated, as I can’t help but blush that the strange man is able to see me.

He gets out of the car and offers me his hand, which I accept. And there are again the sparks.

I open my eyes wide, looking at him, while he just smiles at me. What is this? Why does this man give me these sensations which I have never felt with another man? Why do I feel like I’ve known him for years? Why do I feel safe being around him?

I remain absorbed with all these questions dancing in my head, without being sure how much time passed standing, holding hands, looking at each other, saying nothing.

“Emma? A penny for your thoughts?”

I snap out of my thoughts and see him looking at me with a perfect smile on his lips.

I quickly let go of his hand, saying, “I’m sorry.” The minute I walk away from him, I curse my attitude. I feel... alone and empty.

I see how his smile fades, and there is disappointment in his eyes. I can’t help but feel guilty. I clear my throat, uncomfortably, as I ask him, “What are we doing here?”

He sighs, saying, “I brought you here, since I thought you needed a safe refugee where you could break down without feeling judged. It is my home. Here you can stay as long as you want or need. I think you need this time alone to decide what you’re going to do, and I thought you wanted to calm down before seeing your daughter.”

I’m left speechless. Does this man show me so much concern and understanding of what is happening to me without even knowing me?

Why didn’t he come into my life sooner? I sigh, absolutely touched by his words. I put a hand to my heart and in a whisper, I just say, “thank you.” I feel the tears come again.

His face breaks as he approaches me, hugging me, saying, “Please don’t cry, dear. I can’t see you cry. It breaks my heart to see you in this state.” I say brokenly, “Why are you doing this? You don’t know me!”

“That’s irrelevant, Emma. You are a woman who just found out that her husband was unfaithful to her. I understand what it means to be deceived and there is nothing to be ashamed of.”

Then he places his hands on my shoulders, looks me in the eye, saying, “Trust me, Emma. I will always be with you, and I will help you with everything you need, I promise. You can stay here as long as you need. We can go to get your daughter too. My house is your house.”

“I couldn’t abuse your hospitality like that, Peter. You have done so much for me in these moments that I have needed it the most.”

He smiles tenderly at me as he puts his enormous arms around my body again, saying, “And yet, I feel like I’m doing nothing to help you and that I could do more.”

“More? like what?”

I hear a laugh resonate in his chest, saying, “I could take out your husband, and make him look like an accident.”

I stay silent for a moment, enjoying his closeness and his scent, to which I say, “Actually, that wouldn’t be a bad idea.”

He laughs even harder. I feel him kiss my head, saying, “I agree. It is not a bad idea.”

With this conversation, although I know it is absurd, I can’t help but fantasize in a thousand ways that Albert would lose his head.

Then I tell him, “What you propose is more real. I wanted to set his car on fire.”

He stops hugging me, lifts my chin and, with a raised eyebrow, tells me, “Your wishes are orders to me, my dear. You only have to say the word.”

I frown at the idea that he’s actually considering it… and, truth be told, so am I. What the hell is wrong with me? I let go of his grip, uncomfortable, clear my throat and say, “Will you invite me in?”

He stares at me for a few seconds, before he says, “yes, this way.”

We climbed five steps and walked towards the entrance. He opens it and lets me enter. I look around and it’s huge. I think for a moment that if I stayed here, I would constantly get lost.

I stand frozen at the door without moving forward, absolutely intimidated by the opulence of the place.

He turns around and says to me, “Is there something wrong?”

I widen my eyes as I say, “No, it’s quite the opposite, actually. There is nothing wrong with this place.”

“Then?”

I bite my lower lip until I tell him, “I’m just not used to such luxury. My life is pretty simple, you know?”

“Hmm… it makes you feel uncomfortable.”

I shrug. Then he asks, “Is there anywhere in the house where you feel safe?” Without thinking twice, I say, “yes, the kitchen.”

He smiles widely as he says, “Do you spend a lot of time in the kitchen?”

I huffed, “Not as much time as I’d like. For me, cooking is therapy. I can organize my thoughts and I can decide what to do. To tell the truth, my greatest ideas have come to the kitchen. It was also the place where Maddie took her first steps.”

“Is Maddie your little girl’s name?” He asks me, motioning for me to follow him.

“Yeah. Maddie is my life. She is five years old and is… a whirlwind of joy.”

We got to the kitchen, and it was spacious. I look around in wonder, fantasizing about the number of cakes I would bake.

I sit in the chair while he says, “Do you want something? You’re thirsty? Hungry?”

“Just a glass of water, thank you.” He nods silently as he fills a glass with filtered water.

He hands it and sits next to me, saying, “I hope you don’t mind me asking you, but how or why did a woman like you end up married to a man like your husband? Please explain it to me, because I’m dying to know.”

I sighed, saying, “the marriage with Albert is still controversial. I chose him because it was necessary.”

He frowns and says, “How can it be necessary to marry someone? That makes me think that love had nothing to do with it.”

I scratch the bridge of my nose, trying to collect my thoughts. I have told no one why I married Albert, not even my parents. But for some unknown reason, I can’t hide anything from Peter. I feel like if I did, it would be… dishonest and wrong.

I sigh heavily and tell him, “Love had nothing to do with my marriage. It was a business decision, Peter. It was a marriage of convenience.”