like it?” I asked, fighting to keep my voice even.
“It's pretty, but the long locks suited you better.”
Then why did you make me cut it?
It was something so trivial, but only strengthened my belief that he was toying with me. I nodded, choked up, and unsure what to do.
“I'm sorry,” he said softly. “I know this must be very strange for you, but I'm afraid I don't even remember your name.”
“Olivia,” I offered in a small voice. “It was Olivia Walters before we got married.”
Something strange flashed in his dark eyes. “Olivia,” he breathed my name in a hot whisper.
He gazed straight into my face, and I peered at my lap. The sound of his deep voice grabbed my attention.
“I remember seeing you at that restaurant, but I don't remember us getting married...or even being together.”
“What is the last thing you remember?” I asked with caution.
“Just some vague images.” His expression turned distant. “When I close my eyes, I see you pouring wine in my glass and you seem nervous. I'm afraid everything is hazy after that.”
“It's all right,” I uttered. “Don't force it. It will come.”
His eyes narrowed. “You seem very understanding of the situation. Some women might feel offended if their husbands had forgotten the entire course of their marriage.”
A nervous shiver rushed through my system at the thought Alessandro was merely probing for a reaction that would confirm his probable suspicions.
“It's not your fault. You’re injured.” I did my best to sound reassuring.
He smiled softly, and his eyes studied me with naked scrutiny. “You’re not wearing your ring.”
I quickly covered my hand in an instinctive reaction, concocting an instant excuse. “I...I must have forgotten it.”
He made no comment, but raised his hand and went on to study his own ring. “Mine seems to have made it through the accident just fine.”
I nodded automatically, but inside I couldn't take much more of these mind games.
“Do you know where I was going?”
I shook my head, offering a silent reply even though he hated wordless communication.
“It just seems so strange that I would lose control over my car like that,” he speculated, sounding suspicious. “Something must have made me very upset.”
“The doctor said we shouldn't discuss what happened,” I interjected quickly.
A dark shadow crossed Alessandro's beautiful face. “Right.”
Suddenly, the space between us filled with suffocating tension, and I found it difficult to breathe.
“I should get going,” I murmured, rising from the chair. “I'll let you rest.”
“Aren't you going to stay with me?” he asked curiously.
“W-With you?” I wasn't quick enough to hide my sudden turmoil, and I could have sworn he noticed.
“Yes, you can keep me company,” he suggested, omitting to comment on my reaction.
“I wouldn't want to impose,” I muttered, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear in vain effort to compose myself in Alessandro's presence.
“Dio, you're my wife,” he asserted in wonder. “Of course, you wouldn't impose. Isn't it your duty to be by my side?”
He knew exactly what he was doing to me. The bastard remembered and he was just pretending. I was certain of it.
“I...I don't have anything to wear,” I said in a shaky voice, searching for any available excuse to be away from him. “I left everything at home.”
“So?” He shrugged. “Can't you have someone bring you your things? Or, have I gotten so poor in the last five years that we are no longer able to afford hiring help?”
I shook my head, offering yet another gestured reply and receiving no reprimand.
“Then I don't see the problem,” Alessandro stated in his usual condescending tone.
My whole body slumped back into the chair, and I grew rigid, pulling into myself. Don't disobey him. Never disobey. Remember the consequences.
“Yes, Alessandro,” I said in a controlled, emotionless voice while everything inside me screamed and panicked.
His eyes narrowed on my pale face and—to my surprise—he seemed confused.
“Why are you so jumpy, cara?” His voice turned feathery soft, and I forgot how to breathe. Cara...darling. He had never used that term of endearment before. “If staying here with me upsets you so much, I will not force the matter.”
Choice. He was giving me a choice, and he backed away. This wasn't the first time he had done that. The very real possibility he was playing a game infiltrated my mind again, and I knew the expected reaction was that I'd leave and cower away. It made me say the last thing I wanted to say.
“No,” I confirmed firmly. “I'll stay.”
Alessandro's lips twitched into a brief smile, and he whispered