Page 14 of Unspoken Ties

I had been perched on the edge of the sofa and was startled by his unexpected presence. In my shock, I lost my balance and tumbled to the hardwood floor in a jumble of limbs. The impactreverberated through my body, sending shockwaves of pain shooting through my muscles. I looked up at him with wide eyes, both startled and embarrassed by my sudden fall.

He sighed and walked towards me, extending his hand. I turned bright red as I grabbed it, and with a surprising softness, he pulled me upwards.

“Be more careful,” he said.

My heart was a drum, thumping violently against my chest. The heat rising to my cheeks was not just from embarrassment, but also from the close proximity of his body. As he pulled me up, I found myself almost chest to chest with him, feeling the warmth radiating from his skin and the steady rise and fall of his breath. It was a moment that made my heart race and my thoughts jumble into a frenzy as I tried to keep my composure.

I couldn’t stand him most of the time, but I couldn’t deny he was hot. His deep, brown eyes smoldered as they locked onto mine, their intensity burning into my soul. There was an enigmatic expression in his gaze, one that left me unsure of what he was thinking or feeling.

“I’m going out with Luciana today,” I said abruptly, pulling away from him. If I stayed too close, I feared my heart might explode from my chest.

“I know,” he responded.

“How could you possibly know? I texted her after you went to bed.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

I narrowed my eyes and furrowed my brow in frustration as I watched him walk away from me. Unfortunately, I had a feeling that this would be an answer I would get a lot in our marriage. He was a Don, a powerful figure in the Mafia world, and there was no way he could reveal any of his secrets to his own wife.

“You’re cute when you’re angry,” he said, putting a piece of bread in the toaster oven.

“I’m sorry?”

“It suits you better than the scared fawn look you have on ninety-nine percent of the time.”

“I need to go get ready,” I blurted, choosing to avoid the situation rather than engage any further.

The soft, warm water cascaded over my skin as I took my time getting ready in the bathroom. The steam from the shower filled the air, carrying with it scents of lavender and eucalyptus. I knew Ettore would have to leave in thirty minutes, so I wanted to dally as long as possible so we wouldn’t cross paths the rest of the morning. The mirror reflected a faint image of me, my hair still damp and tousled from the shower, as I carefully applied makeup and styled my hair.

The sound of the front door opening and closing caught my attention. Weird. Luciana wasn’t supposed to be here for another twenty minutes. I checked my phone and saw a series of messages from her, explaining that she had arrived in the area early and didn’t want to return home.

I hastened my preparations, quickly pulling on a simple dress and matching shoes. I didn’t want Luciana to be waiting, and the thought of her meeting Ettore unsettled me. It was as if my two worlds were about to collide, and I wasn’t sure how they would resonate with each other.

Fortunately, both her bodyguards were with her, and they were talking to Ettore. Luciana had affectionately nicknamed the two men “Tall Dino” and “Short Dino”, as their first name was the same.

Stepping into the room, my eyes darted nervously between them. “Good morning,” I addressed the pair, forcing a smile to my lips as I approached them. The Dinos merely grunted in response, their attention focused on Ettore. I chanced a glance at my husband, who was casually leaning against the doorframe, an air of nonchalance wrapping around him like a cloak.

“This sofa is as hard as rocks,” Luciana complained. I hadn’t noticed her tapping away on her cell phone.

“It is,” I said back, looking directly at Ettore. He gave me a knowing smirk.

“I’m going to head out,” he said. “See you later.”

“Bye,” I said flatly.

Ettore nodded in acknowledgment, his eyes lingering on me for a brief moment before he stepped outside, the door closing softly behind him.

“That’s your husband?” Luciana asked, delicately framing her question.

I nodded and sighed. “That’s him.”

“It…could be worse,” she paused, looking for something positive to say. “He’s very good looking.”

“Ettore’s not that bad,” Tall Dino chimed in. “You just need to get to know him. He’s like an onion. Lots of layers.”

Tall Dino liked to gossip. I had only met him a few times before, but anytime Luciana and I would talk about something, we would always get his (often unsolicited) opinion. This was in stark contrast to Short Dino, who only responded in grunts.

“Let’s head out,” I said, wanting to get as far away from the apartment as possible. I needed an escape.

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