Page 54 of Useless Love

He opens the car door for me and I get in the passenger seat. “Do I need a special occasion to see my own fiancée?” He kisses my cheek and then shuts the door.

He hops in the driver’s side. “Of course not. It’s, um, great to see you.” I have missed him, but I can no longer trust my body around him. I can’t lose my virginity before marriage. It goes against everything I believe in.

I glance over and he’s staring at me. Such an intense stare.

He points at my wet hair. “Did I rush you? You can go back and dry your hair if you need to.”

“No, it’s okay. It will air dry.”

Carmine answers cooly. He’s acting strange—no smile, no looking at my tits in this tight top. He’s a little distant. This is all Arianna’s fault. It’s clear that whatever Arianna said yesterday made matters worse.

“Where should I drive you?”

“Home, please. I can’t be late to Mother’s…” I snap my mouth shut.

“Your mother’s what?”

I know I shouldn’t tell him, but it’s okay, right? Father won’t allow him to go anyway. “Um, her birthday party.”

Carmine is silent for a while. Then he says, “Well, I would love to wish my soon-to-be mother-in-law a happy birthday. Let’s go shopping so I can have a nice gift.”

“W-W-Wait, it’s really just a small family gathering. With my brother’s death, my mother doesn’t even want to celebrate. However, my father insists we need a reason to smile after everything. So…it’s just family.” Don’t come.

He glances at me indifferently. “Am I not family? We’ll be married soon.”

“I…I know, but…” The real Arianna will be there, so you can’t come!

“No problem, princess. I’ll swing by toward the end to wish my mother-in-law a happy birthday. I’ll drop you off and go buy a gift.”

I don’t know what to do or say that won’t make me look suspicious. It was bad enough that Mother had to call me Arianna over that luncheon with Mrs. Gaudino, now the whole family has to play this game? What if someone slips up? Everything will be ruined. Carmine will never speak to me again.

As we get closer and closer to my penthouse, I try to think of what to say. Finally, I say, “I’m sorry for not being able to see you lately. I’ve been so busy with school.”

He glances at me with cold eyes. “Yesterday, you weren’t sorry at all.”

Leave it to Arianna to make things worse!

“Well, I…Yesterday, I wasn’t feeling well and acted out of character. I’m so sorry.”

Waving his hand dismissively, Carmine says, “Do me a favor and reach into my glove compartment and pass me a bank slip.”

“Uh, sure.” It’s a strange request, but I press the button. I open the glove compartment, move his gun, and pull out the slip under it. “This one?” I ask.

Visibly confused, Carmine nods and takes the slip.

In an attempt to lighten this mood, I joke, “In two weeks we’ll make the announcement. Is two days after that still okay for the wedding day?”

He doesn’t respond. I’ve never seen Carmine this quiet, and it scares me a little. Where is the gentle man that is always so caring and happy around me?

When we arrive in front of my home, Carmine aggressively slams on the brakes. I gasp, gripping my seatbelt.

He turns to me with fiery eyes and says, “You know what I don’t get? One fucking minute you’re hot, the other cold. Are you playing games? Or are you someone else?”

I swallow. Someone else? No…please don’t suspect anything. Not yet. “I…I already apologized for those two weeks. I explained. I’m sorry.”

“Is your father forcing you to marry me?”

“What? No. Absolutely not. I—”

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