did his long exhale of sheer anger. Adrenaline kicked in and I ran back to the kitchen. By the time I reached the sink, I was pale and shaking all over. I quickly poured myself a glass of water and drank it in one go. Then, I leaned my hands against the counter and focused on my breathing. Attempting to regain a sense of composure, I returned to preparing the salad. I cut the cucumber, but it wasn't much of a distraction. Only one thing repeated in my mind. It was over. Alessandro knew. He knew I tried to kill him. This entire time, I had hoped against hope that my secret would remain hidden, but I should have known Alessandro would dig until he found out what had happened on that day of the accident. There was nothing I could do to satiate his anger. He would never forgive such a grave offense. The consequences and punishment were inevitable, but I wasn't worried about myself. The only thing I cared about was my baby. It wasn't even born yet and its life was already in jeopardy. The thought that Alessandro might hurt it made me physically ill. Perhaps I should just drop everything and run.
But there was no time to give credit to that idea because Alessandro suddenly appeared in the kitchen doorway. My heartbeat thrummed in my neck. Acute dizziness attacked my racing mind. I pretended he wasn't there, and didn't greet him, but kept my eyes focused on the cutting board. I just prayed I kept up an illusion of a relaxed composure. As he closed the distance between us, every hair on the back of my neck stood up. An eerie sensation crept all over my skin as he stood right behind me, leaning his hand on my shoulder.
“Something smells delicious.” He snatched a piece of a cucumber from the board, and laid a small kiss behind my ear. “Can I help you with anything, cara?”
“No,” I muttered in a tiny voice. “I've got it.”
I could feel him smile behind me. He was more than calm, more than relaxed. He was coolness personified, acting as if nothing was wrong. I was certain he played a game.
“I'm such a lucky guy,” he whispered. “Not only are you beautiful, kind and smart, but you’re also a great cook. What more could a man ask for in a woman?”
A powerful shudder of awareness rushed through my body because I knew he taunted me with this comment. Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain in my index finger and I instinctively dropped the knife.
“Accidenti!” Alessandro shouted in alarm and immediately pulled me toward the sink. He held my hand under the water to rinse out the blood and then assessed the damage. I had slid the knife under my skin and there was quite a lot of blood, but it looked worse than it was.
“Stay here. I'm going to get a bandaid,” Alessandro instructed and left the room.
While he was gone, I inhaled and exhaled to keep calm while attempting to rationalize his behavior. Why would he go fetch a bandaid for my injury if he intended to kill me? I was pregnant with his child. He wouldn't hurt me...at least not physically, would he? For a split second, I had hope, but then I remembered who I was dealing with.
This reeked of Alessandro's type of vengeance. It was slow and cunning and he enjoyed playing with my nerves because he knew I sensed it was coming. He had done this so many times before. Why would he react any differently now?
Alessandro marched inside the kitchen, carrying some kind of bottle and a gauze in his hands. When he approached me, he poured some of the liquid onto the gauze, and flung me a reassuring smile.
“This might sting a bit, but the cut must be disinfected,” he explained, as he took hold of my injured finger and pressed the cloth against the cut. I hissed at the burning sensation that bit through my flesh. Alessandro smiled and he was gentle when he wrapped the band aid around my finger, as if careful not to hurt me.
“There...I think you'll make it,” he delivered with a teasing smirk.
“Thank you,” I breathed, slowly pulling my hand away from his.
“No need to thank me, principessa. We're husband and wife,” he murmured in a rich drawl. “It’s only natural we take care of each other. I'm sure you wouldn't let me bleed to death at your