Chapter Five (5)

ADRIANO 
He stood looking at the spot she had occupied not too long ago before she ran off to God-knows where.
He didn’t know if he was supposed to run after her or if he was just supposed to leave her alone.  
He stood there for some time without feeling any emotions.
What was he supposed to do? Let her defy him? She should have known that even if she was his wife, she still needed to give him his respect.  
So why did he feel this way?
He felt like an awful person and right in that moment, he really felt like the monster he truly was.  
He had made his new bride cry on their wedding night and he still hadn’t gone after her.
He didn’t know if it was his pride or he was just simply being a coward.  
This was exactly why he didn’t want to get married.
He knew something like this would happen and he also knew that he wouldn’t be able to handle it.  
It was part of his nature to be ruthless to everyone, not just his men and his soldiers, every single person.
He demanded respect and he didn’t like people to talk back at him, he liked to control everything and hated it when things didn’t go the way he needed them to do.  
Being in the mafia meant that you had to do things with accuracy, efficiency and precision.
One mistake could be fatal for everybody involved. That was why Adriano felt the need to be the way he was.  
He inhaled a deep breath before he began to walk towards the staircase and ascend it.
 
He wondered which of the rooms she had stormed into and began to walk slowly towards his master bedroom.
He didn’t get too far because coming from the first door to the right, he heard sobbing sounds.  
Great.
He thought to himself. He didn’t know how to be sympathetic and he had no clue about what he was supposed to do now that she was crying. Apologizing was not an option because that would show weakness.  
With a deep sigh, he twisted the handle for the door and pushed it open.
 
He saw her lying face-down on the bed with her face buried in the pillow.
Her body shook with her violent sobs and it made his stomach dropped.  
He really was a monster.
The girl had done nothing to him. She didn’t hurt him, she didn’t even insult him. She was just a poor, naïve little girl that had been forced into union with a monster like him.  
He walked slowly to the bed and sat down on it.
 
“I didn’t mean what I said.
” He said slowly. Well, it wasn’t like what he said was a lie but he hadn’t meant to throw it in her face.  
She didn’t give a reply and he couldn’t think of anything else to say.
He got up and left the room.  
The whole situation exasperated him.
He knew he was thought of as heartless and cold but he didn’t like to hurt people who didn’t deserve.  
When he got to his room, he changed out of his suit and went straight to bed.
He was really tired and all he wanted to do was sleep. On the brighter side though, at least he got to sleep on his bed alone.  
~*~*~*~ 
Ismeralda 
The sun shone brightly into the room and directly into her eyes that were already swollen and hurt from crying last night.
 
She was still in her wedding dress and it made her really uncomfortable.
The last thing she remembered yesterday was Adriano coming in and saying he hadn’t meant what he said but she knew it was a lie. She cried some more after he left and then finally fell asleep.  
She felt groggy all over and all she wanted to do was take a bath and read some books to help her forget about the fact that she was in a loveless marriage with a cold-hearted man.
 
She dragged herself out of bed and left the room.
She hadn’t even bothered to ask where the master bedroom was the night before and now, she didn’t know where to find it.  
She started to walk aimlessly down the hall in her bewildered state.
It was hard for her to see anything because her eyes were still blurry and swollen shut.  
Which was why she bumped into a hard wall.
The moment she collided with the wall, pain shot up her head making her groan.  
“Damn it, Ismeralda!
I didn’t see you there.” Adriano said strongly and put his arms around her to keep her on her feet.  
She hadn’t collided into a wall, it was Adriano’s strong chest.
 
“No, I’m sorry I didn’t see you, I was just trying to find the master bedroom.
”  
“God, your eyes are swollen and your head probably hurts.
Come on, I’ll take you to the room.”  
He said and guided her to the master bedroom.
 
“Let me help you out of your dress and then you can have your bath.
”  
His voice sounded so soft.
She had never heard him sound like that before and he was treating her as though he actually cared about her.  
He brought his hand to her zipper and pulled it down slowly.
He brought his hands to her shoulder blades and then started to push the thin spaghetti straps down slowly. When it was all the way down to her elbows, she removed her hands totally from the straps.  
She was a bit shy about removing her dress fully in front of him but before she could think too much about it, she felt his fingers trail down her neck slowly and it sent shivers down her spine.
 
She inhaled a sharp breath and then exhaled slowly.
 
He wrapped his arms around her waist and placed a light kiss on her neck.
She felt goosebumps appear all over her body and she didn’t know how to react. 
“I’ll ask Carlos to bring you some aspirins and some breakfast.
” He said in a bare whisper before walking out of the room leaving her in utter shock.  
She didn’t understand what had just happened but she pushed it out of her mind and went to take her bath.
She knew he wouldn’t treat her the same way when he got back later in the evening anyways so why dwell on it.  
This was her life now and she would just have to find a way to deal with it.
 
 

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