She laid on the bed naked feeling depleted, she was drained from the will to go on. This cannot be the life she has to go through for the rest of her living years. Her waking hours belonged to Armand. She didn’t know how else she could avoid him, they’ve been there for three days, by the end of the week there will be nothing left of her.
Her mind was running all over the place, it was part of the reason why she felt sluggish, it just won’t stop thinking. The fact that Armand seemed calm and collected was suspicious, how could he not be looking for the people who have killed their parents? Then her mind would jump and think about why she hadn’t had her period. What if she really was pregnant? Whose baby is it? Could it be Diego’s? Is that even possible?
Then she thought about Diego and had to prevent herself from crying. She started to feel anxious. The stress was taking its toll on her.
She grabbed Armand’s medication, read the label, and took one pill of the Xanax. It would calm her nerves, she thought. It did, it even helped her sleep. But even in her sleep, her mind wouldn’t stop running mad.
The events leading up to that day jumbled up in her blurry dream. The wedding, the ambush, the kidnapping. Conversations sounded like mumbling noises. All the running, the shooting, the two men that were shot. She twitched when their brains splattered to her face. She tossed and turned on the bed. Things that Diego said to her echoed in her subconscious, his face came into focus and slowly backed away, he was leaving her. “No,” she mumbled in her sleep.
“Ari … Ari …”
Diego’s voice was calling her. But how could that be? He’s dead. Or maybe he wasn’t, maybe it was all just a bad dream. How could he be dead? He was perfect for her, he was everything she needed. She slowly opened her eyes and there he was sitting across from her on an armchair. Her heart floated with joy, “Diego?” she called him. And as her vision cleared she could see his face staring back at her with a cold expression.
“Did you say something?”
It was Armand.
She held her heavy head, the drug had knocked her off completely. “How long have I been sleeping?” she pretended not to hear his question.
“A good four hours or so … you were saying things in your sleep,” he was fishing.
“I did? I must’ve been dreaming … I can’t remember what it was … what time is it?”
She wondered if he had been sitting there the whole time which was highly likely, but she didn’t dare to ask him.
“It’s almost dinner time … Laura is preparing a really nice meal for us, you should get up and get ready.”
His tone was cold. His expression was tense. She started to worry she must’ve said too many things in her sleep. He stood and walked away without saying a word. She didn’t know if she was supposed to be relieved or worried that he was planning to do something bad to her.
Her body felt heavy, she had to move slowly to get out of bed to avoid a head rush. Another dinner time, another conversation she didn’t want to have. How long can she do this? She changed into a nice dress and put on her make-up. He never came back to the room. Was he upset? Was he suspicious? Or was he just getting ready too?
She walked back and forth before leaving the bedroom. She kept glancing at the pills on the side table. She really wasn’t in the mood for Armand that night. He was going to want sex again. He knew she had her nap, he would want an all night marathon and she was just not going to do it. She took the Xanax and held it in her palm. She took two more, just in case.
When she got out of the room, the villa was ghost silent. She walked past his study, it was locked, he was probably on the phone taking care of business. She went to the kitchen and found Laura was still preparing dinner.
“Hi, dinner will be ready soon … I hope you’re not too hungry yet,” she greeted with a smile.
“Oh … no, I was just getting some wine,” Ari opened the kitchen cabinet and took out a couple of wine glasses.
She looked over her shoulder, Laura was busy sauteing and checking on her grill. She took a bowl and a masher, then she started to grind the Xanax. Once they turned to powder, she looked for an unopened bottle of red wine and unscrew the cork. Her heart raced, she didn’t calculate her steps in advance, she had to work quickly.
“Do you need help with that?” Laura noticed she was having trouble with the screw.
“Oh … uhm … yeah … do you mind?”
“Sure … it’s a little tricky, I know, but I’ve done it thousands of times,” she walked over to her and took the bottle from her hand.
Ari leaned on the counter to cover the bowl with her body, Laura didn’t seem to notice it. The screw finally came off, she returned the bottle to Ari. Her hands were trembling.
“Are you okay?” Laura creased her brow and touched her arm.
“Yeah … thanks, it smells amazing in here … what are you cooking?” she diverted her attention.
Laura went back to her station and Ari started to pour the wine in the glasses. She was breathing faster, her hands were sweating. She took a spoon and scooped the powder into one of the glasses. She stirred. Laura was explaining what she was cooking but Ari wasn’t even listening anymore.
The powder seemed to dissolve in the wine, she placed the spoon on the table and let out a long exhale. When she turned, Laura was looking at her. She must’ve seen what she was doing, Ari was lost for words.
Laura curved her lips, and walked over to her. “Let me clean this out for you.” She took the spoon and the bowl with residue still left in it. She immediately rinse them in the sink.
Ari closed her eyes while holding both glasses in her hands, she was caught, “Laura …”
“Dinner will be served soon, … you should enjoy your wine with Mr. Lombardo,” she cut her off.
Ari smiled a painful smile, “Thank you.”
She responded with a knowing smile and a nod.