Josephine

𝓔𝓹𝓲𝓼𝓸𝓭𝓮 76: 𝓞𝓾𝓻 𝓕𝓲𝓻𝓼𝓽 𝓑𝓲𝓰 𝓕𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽

"Ehh decent, Mary is graduating high school in a few months and I don't think I'm taking it that well!"

"Really? The last time I saw her she was just a little kid!"

"Time flies huh?"

"Yeah it does... hey Pablo,"

Mattéo hugged his friend before turning to the last man, Adam.

"Adam, how's life been treating you?"

"Decent, what about you?"

"Pretty great if I do say so myself..."

He winked at me and I felt a small blush creep up on my cheek.

"Your majesty," The three men said together and saluted.

I smiled and nodded, "As you were,"

They returned to their conversation.

"Man oh man Mattéo I cannot believe this is where your life took you!" Pablo said, his voice hinting at a Spanish accent.

Pablo glanced around the massive throne room, his eyes filled with wonder. I'm assuming someone of his kind doesn't understand what it's like to have any sort of accumulated wealth. Shoot, again with the racism. Just because he's Mexican doesn't mean he is poor.

"Yeah, I can't believe it either! I've got the most beautiful wife in the world, two-three amazing kids, I don't think life can get any better than that!"

"Three? I thought you just had the twins?" Adam asked, glancing over at me.

"When I married Josey she had an adopted daughter, Victoria,"

"Ah! Will we see the kids soon?"

"Junior and Ham are napping right now and Victoria is at school, so we might see her later,"

"School? As in public school?"

"Yes! It was a Christmas gift back in '79, and I think she truly does love it!"

"Well, that's good... I'm still dumbfounded that a dare and a bet got you here!" Adam looked around, then at me.

When I heard those words my head instinctively snapped up. Bet? Dare? What was he talking about?

"What dare?"

I noticed Mattéo making this motion with his hand over his throat, silently telling Adam to shut up.

"Oh, that's how this all began, with a bet!"

I looked at Mattéo who looked back at me with guilt in his eyes.

"Mattéo?" I croaked out, though the other men didn't notice.

"Well I think we should get on with the tour of the palace don't you think?" He exclaimed.

The three men nodded in agreement and excitement and Mattéo led them off away from me. Oh my god... did... he really care about me? Or had he pretended to just so he could get power!? Oh my god! No... he couldn't... but... that man did... could he be just as bad!?

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Mattéo's friends were turning in for the night and word was he was coming up to our room. Where I intended to pry the truth from him. I don't think I could handle another betrayal if he didn't love me as I did. This time it would be worse because we had children together, Victoria loved Mattéo to the end of time. How would this play out?

I held a photo of Mattéo and me, from our wedding day. I was struggling to keep my emotions in check.

Then I heard the doorknob turn and Mattéo walked in.

"Hey, Josey,"

I didn't reply, I was too choked up.

"Josey?"

I spun around, holding the photo tightly in my hands.

"Does this photo mean anything to you?" I asked, my heart throbbing in my chest.

He stepped closer, "... Of course! That's our wedding photo!"

I placed it back on the mantle where it had been before.

"Josey... is something wrong?"

"Am I worth nothing more than a bet to you?"

He paused.

"Oh, Scheisse... you know..."

He was struggling to explain himself, or rather come up with an excuse.

"Josey please let me explain-"

"Explain what!?" I cried out, "That you don't actually love me!? That you married me for power!?"

He stepped back in shock as tears stung my eyes and streamed down my face, turning my cheeks red.

"Josey-"

"Goddammit, Mattéo! Did I fall for another trap!? Are you just another bloody Vittorio!!!???"

I stopped for a second. That was the first time I have said his name. In the almost six years since the divorce, I hadn't dared speak his name.

"Don't you dare compare me to him!" Mattéo shouted back, "Josephine I do not do whatever I can to undermine your reign, I do not have affairs with every bloody woman I find and by golly Josephine, I do not have sex with children!"

He was using my full name. He rarely ever did that.

"Your friend said that everything we have is because of a bet! What did they bet me on? Huh!? What did they dare you to do!"

"Two hundred dollars to woo you!"

We both stopped.

"Two... hundred... dollars... is that all I'm worth to you!?"

"No, of course not Josephine! Do you have any idea why I did what I did!?"

"No!!!"

"Then for the love of God and all things holy please let me explain!"

"Fine!!!" I dropped down on the edge of our bed.

"Jesus Christ..." Mattéo muttered, "The reason why I accepted the bet was that there was no way on God's green earth I would be brave enough to talk to you on my own!"

I looked up at him, my rage dissolving.

"I was so shy, so awkward that on my own I could've never worked up the courage to talk to you, let alone tell you how I felt about you!"

"Mattéo..."

"No, let me finish please!"

I shut my mouth in surprise.

"I've always been competitive and never one to turn down a bet and a dare. They knew this and Adam began betting me fifty that I would go over and 'woo' you. Then the others joined in as well,"

"After our dance, I went over to them and Adam tried slipping me the money I refused. I said I had someone who was worth all the money in the world, whose smile shined brighter than all the stars in the galaxy and whose laugh made me feel valuable,"

Then he dropped down on one knee, just like he did a few weeks before we married. He 'proposed' to me, which is apparently something people do.

"Josephine Anna Maria Price I love you. I love you to the moon and back and I wouldn't want to raise our children, live and laugh with every day and travel the world with anyone else. I need you to understand that I will always stand by you, be your best friend and lover until the day we both take our last breaths,"

I wiped a tear from my eye as I nodded my head. I knew Mattéo wasn't a bad man. I guess I was just a little freaked out...

"But I think I need to show you how much I love you..." He grinned slyly before pushing me onto the bed.

"Ooh, I like the way you think..." I grinned back as Mattéo climbed on top of me. 

He kissed me passionately, and it was filled with all the love and compassion I could ever ask for. I felt him undo the laces of my dress and thus we began our little game.