“What is the meaning of this, Laura?” Dante’s eyes widen in shock as he stares at his wife who just slapped him. He had just come here to see her since she was sick for the last few days, only to be welcomed with a slap.
Tears stream down Laura’s cheeks as she stares back at the man she has been with for the past thirty-three years of her life, the man she has spent her whole life loving, unknown to her that he has been lying to her. Just the thought of it was messing her head and driving her nuts. Laura and Dante have been together for thirty-five years. Three years of courting, and thirty-two years of marriage. She has always thought that this man was the most faithful man any woman would want to spend the rest of her life with, she thought he was the best man in the world, well, he was, up until the last few hours she found out what this man has done. It breaks her heart to know that she has been fooled and used for the past years that she has been with him.
“Are you ok, Laura? What’s wrong with you? Why are you like this?” Worried, he tries to touch her, but she glares hard at him as she steps away from him, more tears streaming down her cheeks, her pair of hazel eyes were boring disgustingly into his skin as if she was going to devour him. Well, she would do that if she could.
“Why is nobody talking to me?” He utters in confusion as he turns to look at Mason, his eldest son, and Janice, his second and the last child of the family. Laura has given him two cute children since they have been together.
“What happened, Mason? Why is your mom like this? Janice, what happened?” He asks the two, but they only glare hard at him with disgust before they turn their faces away, which was driving him nuts the more he thought of the silent treatment he was being given.
“You told me that they were just your godchildren… You told me they were your late friend’s children, and you decided to be there for them… Why didn’t you ever tell me you have a family somewhere? Why the hell did you never tell me?” She yells at the top of her voice, and he freezes on the spot as the realization of what is happening dawns on him. He gulps down the sudden lump that forms in his throat, his blood went cold for seconds, and the world seems to be frozen as her words replay in his head. He tries to gather his thoughts together, but they keep falling apart. Seeing the pain in her eyes as she stares at him, he feels a sting in his heart. Many thoughts came flooding his mind at once, as he asks himself who must’ve told her that. It couldn’t be that Elizabeth was the one, right? He asks himself, but quickly dismissed the thoughts, knowing that he has done a good job in keeping his relationship with his family really close and that no one ever knew he had a family here. So how the hell did Laura find out about it?
“Is that the reason you rarely spent time with us? Are they the reason you… You…” She pauses and bites her bottom lip as she tries to hold back her tears, but more keep falling down her cheeks.
“You told me it was the nature of your job… You told me that you had to do that for the sake of your family, and I understood you, but you lied to me for thirty-five freaking years! Dante!” She scoffs as she staggers back.
“I loved you, Dante… I loved you with everything in me… I had my world revolve around you, and even in our old age, you were still the only man that has my heart. What the hell have I not done for you? I gave you everything… I gave you my time, my love, attention, my heart, body, and I would give you my soul if I could… What more do you want that I never gave you?” She yells at the top of her voice again, not minding that her children are with them.
“What are you talking about, Laura?” He scoffs after a long silence. Of course, he is aware of the crazy decision he made to deny this, but fuck! He needed to do something. Seeing his wife in pain hurts so much, and he is not ready to admit this, knowing that it’ll hurt her the more.
“What am I talking about?” She scoffs as she stares at him with his teary eyes. Her eyes are blazing with anger, her blood boiling in rage, the thought of being used and fooled all those years hurts so much, and this bastard still dare to look her in the eyes and lie to her? That’s crazy.
“Just quit with the pretense, Dad. What is she talking about? Don’t you know of your family outside, or are you trying to deny it even after you’re caught?” Mason finally speaks up for the first time, his eyes blazing with anger.
“Mason…”
“What? What do you want to say? Shut up, and don’t interfere when I’m talking with your mom, isn’t it? I’m sorry, I never meant to do that… Is that what you want to say?” Mason scoffs as he tucks his hands inside his pockets while glaring hard at him with pure resentment in his eyes.
“I have always thought you were the best dad in the world, but it seems to me now that I was mistaken. I’m sorry to say this, but you don’t even deserve to be called a da…” His words are cut in his mouth as Dante slaps him hard on his right cheek, and he scoffs.
“You want to beat me? Go ahead and do it. Slap me all you want! That doesn’t still change the fact that you are…”
“Enough, Mason. Let’s leave them to sort things out,” The twenty-six years old Janice utters as she stands up to her feet and holds Mason’s hand.
“Let’s go upstairs,” She pulls him with her, not after glaring hard at Dante, before she leaves wordlessly with Mason.
Dante takes a deep breath before she turns to face Laura.
“Laura… It’s not what you think, ok? I can explain, I swear it. I never meant to hurt you. Everything I did, was for the betterment of the family. I swear, I never had a family outside. I can tell you how everything happened…” His voice quivers as he stares at Laura, scared of what will happen next after the revelation of this secret now. He is scared of losing her, scared of hurting her, scared of seeing her in pain, but sadly that this all happened because of him.
“Do you think I want to listen to you, Dante? You think I will believe anything that comes out of you ever again? Hell no! You are nothing, but a bastard! You are nothing, but a liar, pretending to be a saint. That is what you are! And you know what? I hate you, Dante… I hate you with everything in me!” She spits out angrily, the veins in her neck popping out as she clenches her fingers.
“Laura…”
“Don’t you ever in your entire life call my name again, you bastard!” She snaps at him one more time before she heads to the staircase, climbing it as fast as she can.
Dante stares at her until she is out of his sight. His heart thumps against his chest, and he takes a deep breath. This is the end for him. The end of everything. He was on the verge of getting what he wanted, he was just a little bit close, and everything seems to have been blown out of proportion now.
‘Max… Alex’ those names ring in his head, and he gulps down nothing, praying that they know nothing about this, if not, he will really be doomed forever.
Pushing all the thoughts away, he reaches out for his phone in his pocket and scrolls through it. He stops once he finds the number, and dials it, waiting for the person to answer.
“Hello, boss,” Viper’s deep voice sounds through the phone as soon as he answers the phone.
“Have you found her, Viper?” He asks restlessly.
“Yes, boss. Someone helped her escape,” Viper’s voice sounds through the phone, and his heart sinks into his stomach. Who helped her escape? He asks himself but quickly dismisses the thought since it’s not so important for now.
“Don’t kill her… Keep her hostage. I will come to see her tonight,” He says to Viper before he finally ends the call, releasing a deep breath afterward. He sinks into the couch, hoping that it’s not what he’s thinking…