Page 8 of La Dolce Vita

Marietta relaxed and gave her husband complete control.

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"It's so beautiful, Lo," Marietta said.

The night wind dried her hair. The edge of the veranda had no guardrails or gates. From their villa, perched high on the mountain cliffs, she could see the rocky shore. It was a drop that stretched downward more than fifty feet into a turquoise blue sea. A few sailboats glided over the calm dark waves with lamps on their sails. The light reflecting off the sea twinkled like scattered diamonds. The sky was clear and a million stars sparkled against the abyss. One of the boats docked near the pier was theirs. After sunset they had sailed here, and would stay for the night. Lorenzo folded his arms around her, putting both hands on her tummy. He tickled her belly piercing. "Isn't it time to take this out?"

"Yeah, I will," she agreed.

"How do you feel now, cara?" he asked.

She closed her eyes and inhaled the sweet smell of Capri. An island made of cliffs and rocky ridges that made her feel as if she were standing at the center of the universe. She finally felt calm. But the guilt of leaving her sister, even for a few nights, was still chained to her heart. She turned and looked at her buff tanned husband. He towered over her short petite frame. She touched his bare chest.

"I know you've missed me."

"I understand. Things are hard for everyone now with Mirabella not feeling well."

"She's better. Every day she gets better," Marietta said and blinked away her tears.

He lifted her chin and forced her to look into his eyes. "Then why do you push me out of our bed? Why do the doctors tell me your pressure is constantly up, and I need to watch you closer? And sex? What of that? I need you, Marie. The doctors said we could have sex, so why not give it to me?"

"Lo, good grief. It can't be about you all the time. My sister is hurting. And I'm pregnant."

"And being pregnant doesn't end us, does it? Is it not a joy for you to carry my child?" he asked. "Gio said Mirabella had sex with him often when she was pregnant."

"Are you talking to your cousin about our sex life?" she asked.

"No... I say things, at times, yes. I am trying to understand. I want more sex."

"And this isn't always about what you want," she said.

"I say it is," he insisted with a smile.

One look into his eyes and she saw how intense his love burned for her, and it made her flush with frustration. They may have problems, but sex was never one of them. From the first moment she let him have her body, he'd been obsessive about the physical aspect of their marriage. And she knew it wasn't an act. The man loved to fuck. He loved to fuck her. Marietta could admit he was a jerk at times, but he'd been a good boy lately. She opened her mouth to tell him the truth. The only reason why Marietta carried his baby was to please him and save her marriage. And she felt like an idiot for being so desperate to do so. If she had a choice, she wouldn't be pregnant. But he stared at her, and she remembered the most important thing. She loved him. No matter how infuriating, demanding, and stubborn she was, he loved her too. He was her life. And so was their child.

She sighed in defeat. "I'm just stressed."

"About what?"

"Everything. I help run a company. My body is changing every day, and I don't want to do anything to hurt the baby. And then there is Mirabella. She's not well. No matter what you or Gio say, I'm her sister, and I can see it. She's not well."

"She will be okay, Giovanni will make sure of it," he reassured her.

"Some days yes. But there are other days. Once Mirabella was so lost in thought, she didn't recognize me for a minute. It was as if her mind blinked out for a second and she didn't know me anymore." Marietta walked away from him. The cool night wind blew her sheer robe and uncovered her nightie, a black silk gown that stopped mid-thigh and was a bit tight around her hips and midriff because of her tiny belly. Her hair was wet at the ends from the bath. But still, her head was covered in thick dark ringlet curls. She brushed it from her eyes when the wind blew stronger.

"She told me what Kei Hyogo did to her. How he poisoned her. She thinks he raped her more than once. She doesn't remember it, and Giovanni won't speak of it, so she's trapped in her mind trying to figure out what really happened. She's in so much pain still," Marietta said. "When I met her she was so open and full of love, now she's different. Less trusting, less forgiving, and you know me. I'm the one that always needs forgiveness."

"Never. Marie, look at me." Lorenzo insisted. "You are the special one. Not her. And you never have to ask for forgiveness from her or anyone for being who you are."

She glanced up into her husbands eyes. Lorenzo put his hand to his heart. "On my life, I swear to you,cara, none of that happened to your sister. Giovanni had her checked by the doctors. There was no rape. And nothing is going to take her away from you. The China man is dead. She is safe. You are too. It'll never happen again."

"This woman that's out there. Isabella? She is the reason we got together, Lo. She has been stalking us from the very beginning." Tears welled in Marietta's eyes. He didn't deny it. "She knows the truth, Lo. She knows what you did. Remember she was the one that sent me the tape. She's the one who had my sister taken. She's out there!"

"Is that what this is about? Why you keep pushing me away?" He took a step toward her. "You think my secret is going to surface?"

"I'll die for you. I don't care what happens to me. I've proven that, Lo. I'd kill us both before I’d let them come and take you from me. But yes, I'm scared, and worried, and when I look at you, I'm afraid for everyone, not just us. This secret is going to come out eventually. And we have a child to think of. What will happen? What?"

He grabbed her head with both hands and kissed her forehead. "Cara, cara mia, no, no, never will anything happen to either of you. I am hunting that bitch. And I will find her and slit her throat, take her tongue, rip out her fucking heart."

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