Page 35 of Dare To Free Us

“I have to take this. I’ll send my mother in.”

Maria had insisted she wait outside. She wanted the moment to be special for just Matteo and myself. It was a sweet gesture that showed how Maria respected us as a couple.

After only a few seconds of Matteo being gone Maria and the doctor entered. Maria and I gushed at the screen while pictures were printing. Then the doctor gave me a due date but warned that it could change slightly as I progressed, and it was common for the first child to be overdue.

Maria and I walked out of the room still smiling at the pictures when she spied a bathroom and stepped inside. I told her I’d meet her outside at the car where I was sure Matteo would be.

I walked out the door feeling light as air. I couldn’t stop smiling as I practically skipped along the building. My heart was so full I thought it would burst.

“No, I told you I’m spending the rest of the day with Arianna. Tell her that tonight is out of the question. Arianna still doesn’t know about her and I will keep it that way.”

Matteo’s words froze me in place. I looked up to see the top of his head pacing on the other side of the SUV. Something cold slithered up my spine.

“I told you to give her whatever she needs. I don’t give a shit what she asks for, just take care of her,” Matteo scolded whoever was on the other end.

Sickness rolled across my stomach. It wasn’t entirely uncommon for Matteo to have to deal with women working for him or sometimes an elected official, but this sounded more intimate. There was concern and worry in his voice that usually surfaced when Matteo talked about something… personal.

Why would he be so concerned about hiding this woman from me?

Being in the dark about work was something I came to terms with a long time ago. Matteo warned me that he would have to keep secrets from me for my own safety, but this sounded desperate.

The worst case scenario slapped me in the face so hard I stumbled back.Is Matteo cheating on me?

Vomit burned the back of my throat that had nothing to do with morning sickness. My heart shuttered and recoiled like a spring. Things had become strained of late with his work. He came home later than usual, more often than not. Sometimes he’d get lost staring off into space and… the sex had gone to an all time low. The gala had been the exception.

I thought it was because I’d started to complain about feeling so tired and run down all the time, so that was why he didn’t want to wake me up for sex anymore. If he’s not getting it from me…?

Shaking my head I cursed myself for jumping to conclusions. Emotions and nerves were getting the best of me. Matteo loved me. He would never cheat.

I took a step forward, ready to reveal myself when he cursed.

“Fuck. Fine, tell her I’ll be by tonight. Just keep her happy until then. I swear this girl is driving me crazy, but I can’t let her go yet.”

My heart splintered and cracked like a log beam under too much stress. The sound of it assaulted my ears as it slowly groaned in pain then snapped with a horrifying crack.

Without knowing it I stubbled backwards until I was headed back to the front door. Dread filled my veins with ice water. What I heard was not some simple misunderstanding. I wanted to throw up as tears stung my eyes.

The front door swung open just as I approached. Maria and I collided in spectacular fashion. “Oh sweetheart, I didn’t see you there. What’s wrong?” she asked as we made eye contact.

I couldn’t tell her what I just heard. Not only because I was still processing myself and hoping I was wrong, but also because it would break her heart.

The joy in Maria’s eyes when she realized Matteo truly loved me was something to marvel at. Lorenzo had never loved her and cheated so many times she became numb to it. But to hear her surviving son loved his wife with passion and loyalty made her a proud mother.

I would not take that away from her. I’d let the burden break my shoulders before I shattered her like that.

“I’m just getting scared you know? Just thinking of all the worst things that can go wrong.” I shrugged my shoulders casually. “And the hormones won’t let me stop crying.” The lie twisted my guts.

“Everything will be ok, Arianna. You have family who is here for you and loves you. A man who would move heaven and earth for you.”

Nodding my head I took deep breaths that rattled my chest. We made our way back towards the vehicles together with my head spinning like a top. The ground seemed to be the only thing I could focus on. The black, ugly asphalt that felt like a reflection of my mind.

Terrible things flashed in my brain. Indecision about if I was being paranoid or not. The risk of approaching the subject and then being wrong. Or the possibility that it was true.

“Are you ok?” Matteo’s shoes came into view just as his voice hit me. I looked up and almost lost it.

Are you cheating on me!?

I wanted to scream it. Get my answer right then and there, but I was never one to have it out in public. Part of me didn’t know if I wanted the answer.

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