The Borrowed Bride [PUBLISHED]

Chapter 24: The Suspicion

The moment there is suspicion about a person's motives, everything he does becomes tainted.

-Mahatma Gandhi

Leandro Salazar's POV

I tried to concentrate on the words written on the paper in my hands and yet I couldn't understand anything—it's as if, it was written in Latin. The main reason for my distress was the fact that my wife left again for the three consecutive days after we went home from our little vacation.

I asked her last night over dinner how's her trip to the city. She just smiled at me while looking straight into my eyes that she's fine and had a wonderful time shopping for her new sets of wardrobe.

Deep in my heart, I knew she was lying through her teeth but I just let it go. I want to trust her. I knew I could trust her but I couldn't help to wonder where the heck she's doing in town for three straight days.

I sighed and put down the papers I've tried to read for hours now. I decided to bring my work here to the estate so I could spend more time with Leila but I guess that's not possible now. Once again she left just after lunchtime. She told me that she would shop again for maternity clothes because she couldn't find a perfect fit for her yesterday.

It makes me wonder what's with this mysterious trip of hers in the city that she hides from me. I knew that I shouldn't have thought too much about it. She always took Diego with her so if she's doing something my trusted bodyguard would report it to me immediately.

I glanced at my twitched watch three more hours before dinner so that means three more hours before Leila would be home. What can I do to kill time while waiting for her to arrive? I already knew that my work can't do that.

A light knocked from my study room drew my attention. "Come in," I asked, stretching my feet in front of me.

"Do you have a moment?" Natalia asked as soon as she enters my study room. As always she dressed at her finest even though she's only spending her time inside the palace opposite of my wife who still wore her favored casual outfits despite my constant protest.

Before I could stop it my lips twitched with a smile thinking about my protest to Leila about her outfits that only fell on deaf ears. So I gave up on my quest and let her do whatever she wants here at the estate. She's my wife, after all. I want her to feel at home here.

Forcing myself to be back at the present I looked at my sister-in-law who patiently waiting for me to reply. "Yes, Natalia. What do you want to talk about?"

She looked around and folded her arms in the middle of her chest. She smiled cynically. "I see that this wife of yours went to the city again. Is she bored here in the estate that she misses her city life?"

I slowly closed my eyes before I focused my gaze back at her. So this was not a social visit, then? "What are you implying with your words?"

She shrugged then smiled knowingly in my direction. "Nothing." She said with such innocence in her voice. "I'm just making an observation here, Leandro. An untamed woman like her would never settle to live in a hacienda. She would always go to the city to find her entertainment."

My eyes narrowed at her words. "Are you saying that my wife is having an affair in the city? Need I remind you that Diego was with her always?"

"I'm not saying that, Leandro." She held up her hands like a silent surrender. But I couldn't miss the way her eyes sparkled with delight. "All I'm saying is that maybe she's already bored here in the hacienda that's why she always spends her afternoon in the city."