Black Widow | 18+

8 | Excuses

Leandro

Waking up had always been filled with a sense of alarm, whether it was about the fact that I had to start my day quickly, or if it was filled with stress after suddenly falling out of sleep. 

When I had woken up next to Artemisia it was a totally different story. I shifted my body further into hers, allowing my eyes to remain closed as I ran a hand through my hair. However, the small discontented grunt that sounded and the feeling of my hand being drawn back around the waist of the woman beside me allowed a laugh to fall from my lips. 

That morning had been peaceful, something I hadn't experienced for years on end. 

However, after arriving home at nine am as Domenico, Luiz, Matteo and some of my other men sat having breakfast, the look of warning I received from my two closest men told me that I was in trouble. 

I sighed with a curt nod before walking up the stairs, straightening out my shirt to the best of my ability before I slipped my engagement ring back on. 

Yes, I knew it didn't look great taking it off, but the sight of it on made me angry at my past. I didn't remove it to make myself feel less guilty, because the truth was there was no serious guilt present. 

I felt slight guilt in terms of the fact that Clementina would be annoyed, angry and hurt, but any feelings I had for Artemisia felt so right that in my mind there was no reason at all to tell me to regret my actions. 

I took it off to avoid the frustration I felt when taking in what it reflected: a marriage I didn't want that had been set up off the back of Artemisia's kidnapping. A marriage that had been snapped up like a dropped hundred dollar bill by Clementina's father. Looking back at the way he conducted himself in that process disgusted me, especially his airy dismissal of the possibility of Artemisia ever coming back before it had been agreed that my father would stop looking for her. 

"Nessun uomo dovrebbe desiderare beni usati," her father had mused. 
(Italian: No man should want used goods) 

I beat up my father after that meeting, he'd just gotten out of hospital. 

I walked into my bedroom that I shared with Clemmie. As I've said before, she was the closest thing I've had to love in a long time, until Artemisia reappeared and blew everything out of the park; however, the relationship I had with Clemmie hence meant I wanted us to share a room before marriage. 

I had been regretting that decision ever since The Black Widow returned. 

"Where the fuck were you?" I heard her seethe as I took off my suit jacket. 

"With Anton," I sighed. The ensuite door swung open and Clemmie stood in front of me with blazing eyes, dressed for the day. 

"When have you ever seen Anton by yourself?" She shot back, irritation in her tone. 

I shook my head as I began to unbutton my shirt, noticing how she didn't move from the doorway. "Clementina, I'm not in the fucking mood to have a pointless argument with you, nor do I care for giving you a further explanation. I was with Anton, that's all you need to know." 

She let out a frustrated breath before swiftly leaving the bedroom, slamming the door behind her like a petulant child, but leaving me with some solitary peace all the same. 

I got ready for the day, but all I could think about was the way in which she had slept so peacefully in my arms, had held my hand around her waist when we'd woken up and pushed back into me, allowing me to kiss her temple and the crook of her neck.