Total pages in book: 124
Estimated words: 116471 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 582(@200wpm)___ 466(@250wpm)___ 388(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 116471 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 582(@200wpm)___ 466(@250wpm)___ 388(@300wpm)
His walk became stiffer, and his face closed off as he opened the front door for me. “You are my wife, not my mother.” His hard eyes met mine. “My word is law in our marriage, and you won’t tell me what to do. You won’t doubt my decisions, especially not in front of others, understood?”
I flinched as if he’d slapped me. Of course, I knew he held the reins in our marriage by tradition but for him to voice it like that. “Understood.”
Before we’d left for the restaurant, I’d been eager to return home and be intimate with Samuel. Now? Not so much. The events of the evening had been unsettling in so many ways, and his words now simply were my tipping point. Nevertheless, I forced my voice to calm. “Would you mind if I tried to call Giorgia? I want to hear her take on the marriage to Renato.”
Samuel removed his jacket and hung it up in the cloakroom, then he turned to me in his form-fitting white shirt and gun holster. “Go ahead. I’ll have to call Renato anyway.”
With a tight smile, I moved toward the living room while Samuel disappeared in the direction of his office.
I closed my eyes briefly. Maybe I shouldn’t take Samuel’s harsh words to heart. The incident in the restaurant had definitely shaken him, even if he refused to admit it. I didn’t want to nag, but Samuel didn’t talk to me, so I wasn’t sure what exactly was going on. I had seen the brief flash of pain in his eyes when Domenico’s mother had attacked him. If he still carried so much guilt over his friend after all these years, he must have gone through a lot.
I positioned my wheelchair in front of the panoramic window and glanced out at the lake as I called Giorgia. It was already past ten, but unlike me, she was a night owl and spent at least an hour every night reading in bed.
“Emma! I tried to call you today, but you didn’t pick up.”
“Samuel and I had dinner at an Italian place so I had my phone on mute.”
“Date night? So things are going well?”
I pursed my lips. Were they going well? “It’s going better than anticipated, at least physically.” I blushed at the mention of our sex life.
Giorgia giggled. “You probably won’t share any details?”
“I won’t, and it’s not why I’m calling. Did you really agree to marry Renato? The guy who ogled your breasts like a Neanderthal during my wedding?”
Giorgia sighed. “I did.”
“Why?”
“Because my mother found a man for me in Italy who’s twenty-two years older than me and makes a toad look like a model.”
“Oh no, really?”
“She wants me to marry as soon as possible. It’s not like I’m the best catch, considering my family isn’t high ranking, and we’re not swimming in money.”
“But him?”
“He’s only nine years older than me, good-looking if you ignore his intolerable character, and he needs to marry soon.”
“He’s also a manwhore and won’t be faithful, according to Samuel.”
“I don’t care. I need to get out of marrying that old fool in Italy. And I’d be living close to you again.”
“That’s true. So you want Samuel to convince your brother?”
“My brother isn’t the problem. My mother is.”
“Samuel can be convincing.”
“Then let him work his charm.”
We talked for another hour before I finally ended the call. I went upstairs. As expected, Samuel wasn’t there. I changed into my nightgown, then climbed into bed and read a romance book Giorgia recommended. The heat level soon made me feel quite hot, and I put the book down. Should I go downstairs and check on Samuel?
Remembering his words about his command being law, I decided to stay where I was. I had a feeling if I pushed too hard right now, he would close himself off even more—if that was even possible.
I woke to an empty bed the next day. It was seven, later than my usual wake-up time, and the explanation why Samuel wasn’t still in bed, but one look at his side made me doubt he had slept here at all. Maybe he had fallen asleep in his office again.
Sighing, I got ready for the day. I hadn’t heard from Ines yet about the self-help group for Made Men, so I decided to spend the day shopping. Samuel’s comment about my shoes still hung in my head, and maybe a little out of spite, I had every intention of buying a couple more heels for my collection. I hadn’t chatted with Anna since the wedding, so maybe I’d use my shopping spree to send her a couple of pictures of my planned purchases and ask for her professional advice. She was the Outfit’s fashionista after all.
Once I was dressed for the day, I moved downstairs and had breakfast then asked Leo to take me shopping. The moment I reached the car, Leo appeared beside me and held the door open. His expression burst with uncertainty. “Should I help you?” He gestured from me to the back seat.