He smiled and gestured toward the hallway. “After you, cara.”
We walked in silence for a while, and then he looked my way. “Was it difficult for you to get used to this way of life?”
“It was difficult in the beginning, but I learned to accept it after a while.”
Alessandro raised his eyebrows. “That doesn't sound too positive. Had we dated a long time before I asked you to marry me?”
I shook my head. “No. Not very long. Perhaps a month.”
His eyes flashed with surprise. “My proposal must have come as quite a shock.”
I tugged the hem of my shirt, and glanced around at nothing before meeting his gaze. “Yes,” I confirmed. “I was quite stunned.”
“How did I propose?”
My heart skittered in my chest. He was bringing up painful memories that I couldn't deal with at the moment.
“Alessandro, the doctor said—”
“I don't care what the doctor said. I refuse to spend one more day living in ignorance,” he asserted in a determined voice that softened an octave when he noticed me clutching my arms. “Indulge me, cara. I understand you’re worried about my well-being, but I assure you this will cause me no harm. Please, answer my question.”
He humbled himself before me again, and it was something unprecedented for a man like Alessandro who never begged for anything; who never backed away until he got exactly what he wanted. For him to say please in such an unpretentious manner was equal to seeing snow in May—so rare that it was almost impossible.
I relented. “We were having dinner one night and it just came up.”
“So, I wasn't very original,” he concluded, like he wasn't happy about it. “But you did say yes...”
“No, not immediately,” I blurted out. “But you were very persistent and you persuaded me that marrying you was the right choice.”
“And how did I persuade you?”
I let out a shaky breath, and all the blood drained from my face. I was completely unprepared for the question.
“You just kept naming the reasons why I should accept.”
“Such as?” he asked with undivided interest, keeping up with my quick pace.
“I don't really remember, Alessandro.” I shot him a quick smile, but it wavered.
He smirked and caressed my cheek. “That's funny, cara. I thought I was the one suffering from amnesia.”
I tried thinking up something convincing to say, but my mind wouldn't work and I swayed from weakness. Alessandro steadied me against himself using one powerful hand.
“You’re as white as a sheet.” His brows drew together. “When was the last time you ate?”
“This morning,” I replied, relieved he'd changed the subject.
He cursed under his breath and made a sudden move to pick me up, but then stopped and took a long hard look at his cast. “Porca miseria! I don't think I've ever felt less of a man than in this moment,” he scowled at himself.
“I can walk,” I whispered, and his eyes went distant.
“I'm not letting you walk...”
Our eyes met, and we both froze for a moment. I could tell we were reliving the same memory, and I was almost certain Alessandro was remembering something from the past.
“You don't have a choice.” I broke our gaze and started back toward the house to avoid the questions forming in his eyes.
Alessandro remained staring after me as though frozen in space and time.
CHAPTER TWENTY
The Present
Continuing to live with Alessandro was difficult, but somehow we settled into an unusual routine that stood out from the rest of our marriage, so much so that one might think we had turned into two different people. For the sake of keeping up appearances and protecting my secrets, I had indulged my husband in any way I could. Taking up the role of a concerned wife; I constantly showed interest in his well-being. I accompanied him to all of his doctor's appointments, endured countless moments helping him take a shower or get dressed. To the great surprise of our staff, we shared meals in the dining room, and there were no biting remarks on Alessandro's side. For once, we were acting civil toward each other.
Throughout it all, I was determined to keep up the wall of emotional distance, and was careful not to touch him—not even in a passing gesture. Even though Alessandro's incessant questions suddenly came to a halt, and he seemed a lot more calmer than on those first days since he'd returned from the hospital, I couldn't relax in his presence. Instead, I was constantly on high alert, analyzing his every