action and word. No matter how harmless or kind Alessandro seemed, I couldn’t allow myself to be vulnerable around him. Too much had happened to ever restore my faith in this man or even take a liking to him. Never again.
Despite my attempts to find an excuse that would allow me to return sleeping in my own room, Alessandro wouldn't relent and demanded I sleep by his side every night. The only compromise he had agreed upon was that I got to keep my belongings in my own room and stay there during the day. Every morning, I continued waking up with the feeling of nausea. Sometimes, I sensed it in time and retreated to my own room, but—more often than not—it was too late for me to run upstairs, so I'd end up barfing right there in the adjoining bathroom of Alessandro's room. On every single one of those occasions, he acted like a worried husband, determined to assist me to the best of his abilities. I kept blaming it on the stomach flu that wouldn't go away. To my surprise, Alessandro didn't ask any questions nor demanded I visit a doctor. He had just accepted my explanation and acted as if nothing out of the ordinary was going on. This type of behavior was typical of him, and I feared he'd started to suspect something.
When I roamed the house, he'd appear out of nowhere. It added to my doubts that I was constantly on his radar and he was patiently waiting for me to break under pressure. But I didn't want to stir the sleeping giant. For as long as Alessandro remained calm and silent, so would I.
All of that changed one day when Broderick accompanied me to the doctor's appointment like he had done so many times before. The doctor's assistant presumed he was my husband, and it put me in a very sour mood because I was once again reminded of the harsh reality of my marriage. Broderick was determined to set my mind at ease and spoke about his little nephew during the entire ride home, retelling a bunch of funny stories of how his brother in law believed they had a baby from hell. As we pulled into the driveway, he told me about the time when the baby peed on his brother in law right after he got dressed for work, and we both burst out laughing.
Broderick opened the door for me and guided the small of my back as he helped me out of the car. I smiled in a sign of appreciation, and as we looked at each other, we burst into soft laughter again; still thinking about the hilarious story he’d narrated only moments earlier. I shuddered and stopped laughing the instant I turned around and saw Alessandro observing us from the distance with a serious, dark expression on his face. I was half-afraid he would stride toward us in anger, but he spun around and disappeared back into the house.
Bothered by Alessandro's constant scrutiny, I expressed my gratitude to Broderick one more time and headed upstairs to my room. I couldn't wait to strip out of the suffocating turtleneck; and I had already taken it off together with my bra when a soft knock resounded on the door.
“Who is it?” I asked, hoping it was a member of the staff I could send away because I was in no mood for company.
To my dismay, Alessandro entered the room without waiting for my permission.
“Alessandro,” I said in a heightened tone, quickly pressing the thin fabric of the shirt against my exposed chest.
His eyes travelled down my collarbones and then froze on my hands.
“What are you doing here?” I demanded.
His dark heated gaze sprang to mine. “Still no ring?”
A scary flashback appeared before my eyes, and I let out a shallow breath, realizing why he stared at my hands. “I...I think I've lost it.”
His lips twitched into a shadow of a smile. “Interesting.”
Opting to stay quiet, I mentally prepared for more questions regarding the ring, but he muttered something under his breath and focused on another matter instead.
“Where were you, Olivia?” he demanded softly.
I swallowed, unprepared for this confrontation. “I was out.”
He sneered. That sharp jaw set like concrete. “Don't play games with me, cara. I asked you a question. I would appreciate an answer.”
Not want or demand...but appreciate. The gesture didn't escape me, but it wouldn't be enough to make me give in.