JADE
“Elizabeth is dinner ready?” I asked one of my maids the moment she walked into my private bed chamber.
Life in the villa for the past one week since that dreadful encounter with Luciano and Valerie had indeed been awfully slow.
Seconds would turn into minutes, minutes into hours and hours into days. Each new day the same cycle to repeat; I woke with swollen eyes from crying all night, freshened up, ate and spent the rest of my day reading a book.
She nodded, “Yes and Master Luciano is around too” she announced to me.
Slowly, my eyes left the book which I held and darted towards Elizabeth’s unsteady gaze.
Dropping the book on the bed, I slowly sat straight.”Really? Wow what a surprise. I thought he had begun hating to come home” I chortled darkly.
Ever since I walked in on Luciano confessing his true feelings for me to Valerie, I was left broken, not knowing the best way to handle and cope with such a sudden and bitter truth.
It breaks my heart whenever my mind wanders to it. I genuinely thought he loved me or he had begun loving me.
It hurt me so much whenever the thought crosses my mind. And I guess it does hurt because slowly, I had begun falling inlove with Luciano.
But he does not love me the way a husband would love his wife. He just cares for me. That is the least thing, the bare minimum.
God, it seems I might start crying all over again.
“Why would you say that Signora Jade? Why would he hate coming back to his own house?” Elizabeth punctuated my thoughts with her question.
I blinked away my tears and smiled faintly at her. “Well for the past one week has he been coming home? He has been quite busy. I wonder where he spends his night”
Probably with Valerie.
Since I walked in on their conversation, I seldomly saw Luciano. It was like he was avoiding me. We began leaving separately even though we were married.
And even the little times we stumbled upon each other in the villa, Luciano would not dare say a word to me.
And so did I.
I would rather run to my room and cry my eyes out. Atleast I did not give him the pleasure of hearing the mournful wails of my broken heart.
God what sort of marriage is this? I am mentally and emotionally exhausted. Just when we think our marriage can not get more strained, someone or something pops up to strain our not-so-healthy relationship.
“Well…” I heaved a sigh. “Get me my dinner here. I would love to have it in my room”
Anything to get away from my husband.
“Master Luciano demands that you come and join him for dinner” Elizabeth said to my dismay.
“No I am not going” I bluntly refused, a frown forming on my face.
I picked up my book and gazed into it like it could vanish any moment from my hands.
“Please Signora. Just do it” Elizabeth coaxed.
“Why?!” I shot back. “Why should I listen to him when he does not care about me? Why should I obey him when he does not even want me around him?”
Elizabeth was stunned by my outburst. Also was I.
She cleared her throat and walked further into my room, “Signora please. I have noticed the strained relationship you both have. The other workers in the house noticed it too. Gossips are flying in this house Signora. Please go have dinner with your husband” Elizabeth pleaded with me.
Reluctantly, I gave in and dropped my book back on the bed, “Fine. Lead the way then”
A smile drew on her face and she happily walked out of the room whilst I walked behind her.
We walked in silence, which I was so grateful for. I did not want her asking any more questions concerning the reason for I and Luciano issues.
As we walked through the hallways, my heart kept on giving unrhythmical beats, threatening to burst right out of my chest.
I was so tensed and anxious. My palms suddenly felt sweaty and goosebumps rolled across my skin even though there was no cold.
This would be the first time I would sit and eat with Luciano in such a long time. Oh my God.
I counted my steps in my head until we had gotten to the edge of the stairs. There he was, Luciano, seated in the midst of a banquet with multiple cooks flanked around him.
It seems like it has been ages since I last saw him.
His dark wavy hair was let down, it was messy but hot. A lightly trimmed beard had covered his entire jaw and he had the sleeves of his shirt folded up to arms length.
He looked stressed out but still attractive nevertheless.
Our eyes locked almost immediately and my heart skipped a terrible beat.
I swallowed the heavy clog in my throat and began walking down the stairs.
His stare never left mine, not even for a nano second.
I became self conscious, calculating each step I took with precision, under his hot and frightening gaze.
“Master Luciano, here is Signora Jade” Elizabeth announced the moment we arrived in the dining hall. She still had that same beaming smile on her face.
Why was she so happy?
I was nothing close to being happy.
“I see her. Jade have your sit” Luciano instructed. Damn. The audacity of this man to think I am a puppet he can control.
I took out a sit opposite him and had the cooks dish out my meal before I began eating.
Silence permeated the atmosphere but it was slowly punctuated by the clinks and clatter of our cutleries once in a while.
Gosh. This felt so suffocating. He was not speaking to me. Did he just call me to eat? Nothing more?
“How have you been faring Jade?” Luciano asked, cutting the unbearable silence and reading my thoughts.
“Fine and I presume you have been faring well too” I replied.
“Why do you presume? Why will you not ask me if I am fine or not?” Luciano dropped his cutleries and asked.
“Well…” I dropped mine and held his gaze, “For one you have been enjoying sleeping out and having fun out with other women” I smiled, taking a glass of water.
Luciano gave no reply for a while before speaking up again, “Jade do not say that”
“Why shouldn’t I?!” I snapped back with so much intensity.
“You have been out having fun with that treacherous woman, signing different stupid agreements at the expense of what? Our marriage!” I cried out.
“You asked for it Jade!” Luciano thundered back, “You said I marry her. You should have known this was going to be consequence of everything! I begged you not to”
I was shaken to the core by his statement. My breathing became tremored and tears streamed down my cheeks. “Oh really? It is now my fault? I only wanted to help secure your mafia. I did not ask that you belittle me in such manner before that woman”
“Jade…” Luciano lowered his tone and stood up to reach out to me.
“No” I gulped down, quickly pushing my chair back and stepping away.
Suddenly his phone rang and he quickly brought it out.
Upon seeing the caller his face hardened and he hissed.
I need not to be told who it was. Valerie
Pivoting away, I quickly marched towards the stairs and rushed for my room.
The tears that flooded my vision could hardly let me see my way.
I rushed right back into my room and laid on my bed, my hot and fat tears staining the pillow and duvet.
Crying so bitterly and being drowned in my tears, I did not notice that someone had stepped into my room.
“Signora Jade…”
“Elizabeth. What are you doing here?” I sat up and faced her, my eyes still very much teary.
“Do not cry please” she ambled towards me and placed her hand on my shoulder.
“My marriage is falling apart” I bemoaned. “It’s falling apart all because of that selfish woman Valerie and her brother Damien. Why is she doing this to me? Why does she desire my husband so much?” I cried even harder.
“I do not know what is going on but all I know is that you can’t afford to loose this battle against this woman” Elizabeth urged.
“She wants my husband. She is going to marry him, bear children for him and what happens to me? She has the power and money. Her brother is a deadly drug baron for christsakes! How can I fight her when Luciano seems like he wants her and the power that comes with being her husband”
“Get pregnant” Elizabeth said out of the blue.
“What?” I asked, confused.
She stared at me intently, “Yes. Get pregnant for Master Luciano first. She must have started making advances towards him already. That is the only way to secure your marriage right now.
Get pregnant before Valerie has a chance to do so”