I sniveled, flattening my hands on his chest. “Alessandro...”
“Cara, you promised you’d tell me. I swear I won't get angry,” he whispered, looking straight into my eyes. “I just need to know.”
“Okay,” I agreed, realizing I had no other choice than to uncover the entire truth. “I'll tell you.” The moment I said those words, my mind wandered back to the not so distant past when I was dealing with a very different Alessandro and a secret I had to protect at all costs...
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
The Past (1 year prior)
On that particularly ominous night, Alessandro and I traveled to a charity convention for orphaned children in Africa. It had been a while since Alessandro requested me to accompany him to the public events he’d attended with such tireless frequency. The press didn't see it as a problem. Instead, Alessandro was praised for his tendency to keep his young wife away from the nosy reporters and the exhausting existence in the limelight. Little did they know my absence hadn’t been inspired by kindness, but rather Alessandro's cruel need to extort revenge and punishment.
Ever since that night when I had failed to respond to his gesture of returning my wedding ring, Alessandro treated me with coldness and impassivity. It was clear my presence was mandatory on this particular occasion because otherwise he would have gone without me, as was his usual practice.
That didn't mean he felt the need to act civil toward me. On the contrary, Alessandro was as cold and unfeeling as ever. He kept his emotional distance in the car, but as soon as we arrived and stepped out onto the red carpet, he threw on a show. Suddenly, he was gentle, holding me close to himself and making sure the act appeared natural. His performance was so flawless that one might think he savored the role of a doting husband.
The confusion about his request to accompany him to this function disappeared within mere seconds of our arrival and got replaced by instant shock. The woman on the stage named Alessandro as their most prominent patron and a guest of honor, thanking him for sponsoring the event.
The crowd clapped and cheered as she invited Alessandro to join her on stage. Before he left, he gave me a smug glance of imminent confidence. As I watched him march away, I could tell he savored the undeniable surprise that must have been evident in my gaze.
And that surprise only deepened as I listened to my cold-blooded husband's well-prepared speech in which he talked about his concern for orphaned children around the world. The way he spoke made it seem like he truly cared. The passion in his voice revealed an interest in the matter that appeared to be almost personal. Nobody in that entire hall had the slightest idea they admired a ruthless murderer whose crimes had undoubtedly left many children without their parents; including my little sister.
In the end, Alessandro thanked his lovely wife and smiled in a genuine manner. A hundred pairs of eyes stole glances my way without bothering to hide their envy. I just wanted the ground to open up and swallow me alive. As they showed promotional videos of all those unfortunate children, all I could think about was May. There wasn't a single day I failed to remember the harsh reality my little sister must have lived in. This vivid reminder of the horrors she might be facing away from me, only deepened my worries.
Unable to take another second of Alessandro's hypocrisy, I shivered with both hurt and rage as the never-ending claps of the crowd once again echoed across the room. Alessandro employed that contagious hypnotizing smile that made him appear to be anything else than a heartless murderer. The bastard owned the ability to blend in and hide his true colors until it was too late to reverse matters and I hated him for it. He was a chameleon; a true example of a dangerous wolf hidden in sheep's clothing.
I wanted to scream at everybody and tell them the truth about the man they praised, but I couldn't do that. Instead, I played the part of a supportive wife. My eyes were locked with his as he walked back to the table and sank into a chair across from mine. For a few long moments, he simply stared as though he assessed my reaction to what I had just witnessed.
Then, he gasped a smile. “Well, tesoro, don't you have anything to say to me?”