The Wallflower's Revenge

Chapter 12: The Misunderstanding

I nodded before Marco left me alone in my office. It took full five minutes of my inner debate before I finally had the courage to pick up the phone and dialed Tatiana's number.

After a few rings, my wife answered.

"Tatiana, it's me." Oh God, how I miss her voice. After yesterday's silence between us, I am incredibly happy to hear her voice again.

"Lucca."

I frowned at the coldness in her voice. Maybe she's still mad at me. Thank God, I followed Marco's suggestion to tell her about the tabloid firsthand before she could hear it to others. "Tatiana, listen to me. Something happened here in Rome and the tabloids were filled with me and a woman. They say that she's my current mistress and—"

"There's nothing to explain, Lucca." The ice on her voice was enough to freeze the whole Amalfi Coast in the summer. "I told you before the wedding. You could have a mistress if you want. All I could ask is for you to be discreet. I don't want Paolo and Sabrina to know that I married you so I could avenge for my death. We're supposed to be a happy married couple in public."

The wedding, she said. Not our wedding. Evidently, she already knew about the damn rags. And it irritates the hell out of me. I thought we could now mend our bitter goodbye two days ago, apparently, I was deluding myself.

"Do you want to say anything else, Lucca? She asked. "I'm in the middle of my class with Francesca in my Italian."

Blaze and hell! The ice woman I met eight days ago was back with vengeance.

"No, it's fine. I—I need to work, too."

"Bye."

She didn't wait for my goodbye before ending the line. She's still maddeningly angry with me. Fury bubbled inside me thinking what the hell just happened for our happy married life turns straight to hell.

Maybe it's for the best if we're going to stop talking with each other and take a step back because our marriage seems to be moving too fast for us to catch up.

Yes, that's what we both need now. A distance between us.

Tatiana Rostova's POV

"...Mariya? Mariya? Are you listening, Mariya?

My attention was snapped by the concerned Francesca who was looking at me. Then I realized that I have not been paying attention from my lessons and right now I have my Italian class. I blushed furiously that I was caught not paying attention.

"Forgive me, Francesca." I said, looking down to my textbook. "My mind seemed to be flying at the moment."

"It's about Lucca, isn't it?"

Trust it to my friend slash teacher to cut it to the heart. It's been two days since Lucca had left for the city and I always regretted my harsh attitude when he called me to his study and wanted to say a proper goodbye before he left. It's just I'm not prepared for him to leave me alone here. I am used to his presence here and I can see him whenever I want. Now it's seemed that the villa was so lonely without him.

"You missed him, don't you?" Francesca asked with a smile.

I shook my head. What kind of bride she would think of me, pinning for her away husband?

After a whole day of gruesome silence in him, I prepared to make an apology to him when I went straight to the kitchen to ask Allegra for Lucca's office number. I caught the maids and Allegra look like they'd been caught red-handed. They tried to hide the newspaper they were reading.