ANTONIOThis day might’ve started well when I had woken up with my little devil in my arms and my ring on her finger that I had slipped off and put it back in the bracelet around her wrist, but it only started to get on my nerves after my meeting with those Russian arseholes and then the sudden appearance of Gianna. I didn't mean to sound like a heartless bastard, I loved her. I loved her just like I’d love my own son or daughter if I had any, or the ones I’d have with my little devil, but like I mentioned before Gianna had become too much fûcking handful and too bratty since her kidnapping. I could've easily pulled her out of her school and locked her up in the castle after the incident with her running off to party with her friends and getting in jail for doing drugs and for possession, but I gave her a benefit of doubt, even though I was disappointed and worried I allowed her to continue her study. But it didn't matter to her that I wasn't talking to her, she was still doing what
ANTONIOI found her in the small sitting room on the ground floor. She was in a chair, her legs curled up beneath her with Thor sitting in her lap and a faded leather journal resting on the armrest beneath her hand. Her eyes were closed, her other hand was on top of Thor, and she looked like she had fallen asleep. And I hate to admit it but I was almost thankful to the fact that she wasn’t awake to question me. As I stepped inside the room with a mind to carry her to the bedroom, the dog’s ears stood up in alertness and he opened his eyes as he looked at me. Although I could sense the tension in his body he didn’t alert the woman holding her and didn’t wake her up, for that alone for a second there I thought that I might start to like him. But then he bared his teeth at me and I banished that thought. “Shoo...” I murmured softly.The stupid dog barked at me, waking my little devil and I silently cursed at him. The useless creature. My eyes met the dark brown of hers and I tried to co
ERICAI heard the bedroom door open and close as Antonio entered but I remained still, managing to keep my breathing steady and calm despite my chaotic emotions as I felt him come closer. I might’ve not created a scene but I was hurt, my heart ached at the fact that I was unaware of such a big part of his life. All this time he never thought to mention his daughter to me, not even once when things started to change between us. And besides all this, the way Gianna reacted to my presence and talked about me in front of me, it felt like I was the bad guy in this whole scenario. Like I was some kind of evil woman who wanted to take her mother’s place and had come into her home to take her father away from her. I would never do that. I didn’t want to be a reason for their arguments but I also didn’t want to be in the darkness anymore. Antonio said that he had never loved anyone, that there was no woman before me but he didn’t answer when I asked if he loved Gianna’s mother. Somewhere in
ERICA“Who gave you permission to enter this room?”“I didn’t think I needed permission,” I answered her, this close I could see the anger in her eyes and to be honest it took me back as I couldn’t come up with anything that I did wrong since we met. It seemed like she just looked at me and decided to hate me.“Papa might like you for the moment and has brought you here but don’t think that this gives you any right to him or to our home.”“Gianna, I don’t know why you’ve decided that I am your enemy, I am not—”She didn’t let me finish as she stepped into me and said, “Listen. Don’t talk to me like I am a child. I am not. And you can’t be much older than me so I know pretty well why you’re here. I have been watching your type throw themselves at my father since I was a kid. So let me tell you, no matter how much you open your legs my father won't ever let you dig your way through into our family. I know very well how gold diggers—”My hand was up before I could think twice but before
ANTONIOAs I woke up, I already knew that she wasn’t there. It was the reason I woke up, my arms felt empty and her comforting presence wasn’t there. It was amazing how fûcking needy I had become of her, my obsession with her was starting to scare even me now. I turned to look at the bathroom but didn’t see or hear her from inside it. I slipped out of the bed and a glance around the room confirmed that she wasn’t in the bedroom either so I made my way out of the bedroom. As I left the bedroom my mind went back to the little conversation I had with Father Powell. He hadn’t said anything when he had performed the ceremony but he had stopped me before I left the church. —“Antonio, a word.” I nodded and went to him. He gestured me to sit down and when I did, he took a chair beside me. We faced the front of the church and sat there in silence. It was after long minutes that he said, “Your wife,” Those two words settled deep
ERICAAntonio pushed away from me and turned around, leaving the room. But I couldn't let him go, this couldn’t be the end of our conversation, especially when he thought that Gabriel was the murderer of his sister. It couldn't be true. And more than Gabriel being the culprit, I was afraid of what it would mean for us. Because I would never be able to live with myself if something happened to the man my sister loved to death and at the same time leaving Antonio while he thought that he wasn’t important to me was like taking an axe to my own heart. And it already was bruised when he said that he was done.I ran after him, grabbing his arm, I pulled him to a stop. “Antonio, wait... Please, wait. Talk to me.” I cupped his face while my other hand fisted in his shirt. “Listen to me. Please.” There was a desperation in my words that was clearly evident but at this moment I couldn’t care about it.“There is nothing left to talk or listen to, Erica. You wanted to know what I was hiding and I
ERICAIt’s been two days since that night in his study. Since he revealed all the secrets and the pain he was hiding. Since the night when both of us came so close to confessing our feelings in those three words that mattered. We almost said everything except those three words. And yet the confession didn’t help with the situation we were in. I almost wished that I was still living in the dark without knowing why he hated Gabriel, at least then I was happy with his arms around me and my heart filled with all the warm emotions that were now so chaotic with dread and the hint of loss that came with every second, minute and hour we didn’t talk or touch each other. Yes. Two days. And Antonio hadn’t touched me. Two days, since we had a proper conversation. Maybe it was because we both didn’t know what to say to each other now everything was in the open. Now, we were like a couple in an estranged marriage. He wakes up in the morning and leaves like he couldn’t breathe in the castle. I wake
ERICA My fingers tingled from where Antonio was holding on to my hand like he was afraid I’d run away. But all I could think about was how to make this mess go away so I could stay with him. Gianna and Ephraim were walking in front of us. We were in a mall with all the branded stores from around the world and like always, and this one was really over the top— the mall was empty except us, and at least a dozen men of Antonio’s were around us, including three of my personal bodyguards that walked just behind us. It was strange to walk in a place where people were always around but if anyone could make it happen I believe Antonio is the only one. Gianna paused and turned to look at us, “Erica, come on, let’s go see some of the handbags. You don’t even have one.” I shook my head. “No, it's not necessary. I really don’t need one.” I hadn’t ever carried one, to be honest. I wasn’t carrying-purses kind of woman. And even though, Gianna had been nothing but nice since the breakfast I still