Dedicated to @Tinamotun @buhle0829@lizbettey @Nzhinds1 @lisambinji @preme06 @cellamyn @Oma_Wilson @An0_Ny @princessbodyguard @baby_miguella for voting.
Unedited.
Enjoy.
~
My body froze when I heard his voice. His words. Was he serious? I shrugged it off, Issac thankfully coming to the rescue when he needed to go to the restroom. I avoided Marcello for the rest of night until everyone left. My luck was cursed when he was the last person I expected to see, helping me clean up as soon as soon as the door was shut.
Nessa had left leaving me with Issac and Marcello.
Marcello shocked me once more as picked up everything in his wake trying to erase the mess everyone had made. Annoyingly, he made me feel terrible about avoiding him.
Here he was, picking up red cups on laying on the ground into a big zip up bag making me feel both awful and happy inside. Issac was too busy enjoying his favorite presents, the toy car my parents gave him and the presents Marcello gifted him. Marcello had brought Issac a shinny black training wheel bike with bits amount of blue and brown covering the seat and wheels. Issac was pretty excited about it but not as much as he saw the other toy car he got from Marcello. It was a toy police motorcycle with LED light attached to the back of its pillion and had an actual trunk where he could put items in. It was cool and thoughtful of Marcello to do.
Issac went crazy, he was playing with the trunk of the police car putting his clothes in it. I laughed at his craziness. I tender my focus back to Marcello.
"You don't have to do that," I say to Marcello who looks up from picking another red cup on the plush carpet.
"I know, but I want too." He flashes me another one of his breathtaking grins granting me the pleasure of a blush. I shake my head and go to help him but he stops me.
"I can do it." He protests against me, knotting our hands together before he sits me down on the couch, releasing me. My mouth flops in awe. What was he trying to do? Clean my house?
"I can't just sit here and not just help you know. After all, it's my house." Marcello chuckles, looking down as he does so. He looked back at me with a lovingly gaze, it makes me blink for a second to really catch what was going on.
He wants to stay. With me...
I see it in his eyes and in his graceful movements. He doesn't want to go home.
"Can we talk?" He asked, placing another red cup.
"Like right now?"
He laughed, "Yeah... that was kinda of why I asked," I laughed nervously, clearing the air on my part.
"S-sure," Marcello sets the bag momentally, settling himself next to me.
"Autumn, it's time for you to really know everything. I promised I was going to tell you one day and well here I am,"
I fiddled my fingers, breathing deeply to look into his eyes. I was anxious on his side of things. He made his side of things complicated and difficult to explain. I was so sure I was overstepping but I guess he was ready.
"Okay," I spoke, not leaving his eyes.
"Alissa? Do you remember her?"
"Yes," I remembered exactly who she was. Alissa, the woman I thought Marcello cheated on with me, the beautiful model whom I thought was Marcello's fiancé. His ex fiancé, the one he didn't love.
Alissa was the woman Marcello thought he needed for in a wife, and the deal he made with her was ruined due to reasons he didn't say. Marcello told me he would tell me everything one day and why everything was so complicated, how it was difficult to bring up.
I had no idea why but the look of shame and dismay on his face send chills to my stomach and not in a good way. Out of instinct, I reach for his calloused hand, squeezing our tied hands for comfort.
Marcello breathed, nodding to himself. He was nervous, his hands shaking as he squeezed my hand.
"Alissa, she changed." He said uneasy. "She was not the person I thought she was. Four years ago, she did something. Something I never expected her to do." His breaths were now heavy, his body shaking with each word he said.
He fluttered his eyes shut, not wanting to show any weakness. I saw it in his eyes, he didn't want to feel like this. He didn't want to be judged by the secret he hold.
"Alissa, she stole from me. I caught her in the act once... in my office. Frustrated, I wanted to ruin her so I did."
"I broke the engagement and I never looked back."
"I was a dick, yeah but I didn't care. I was annoyed and pissed off. Everyone hated me in the company but it didn't matter. As long as I grew with my empire, I was fine. Money solved everything right?"
Marcello scoffed at his betel words, clearing his throat in way that made me rethink. He wasn't trying to be sexy but he naturally was.
"One night, I was at my apartment. It was another night after work. It was late when I left my room to get a glass of water. I heard a noise, thinking it was the air conditioner so I shrugged it off."
"I had the lights off, and in the kitchen I was standing over the counter until I was was hit in the head. I was out. Everything went dark."
Marcello averted his gaze and held another breath. "I woke up, after what seemed to be a long time. I was confused. My body was aching in pain and everything was blurry."
"I opened my eyes and all I saw was a Alissa with a wicked smile on her face. I-I couldn't move, I couldn't think. I was paralyzed. Alissa s-stripped... and then she was naked."
I gasped, both of my hands now holding Marcello. I knew what this was going. I couldn't bring Marcello to make him tell me more.
"M-Marcello, you don't have t-"
"I want to." He interrupted me. He coughed, blinking a tear away.
"I fought as hard as I could but I couldn't do anything. I was stuck... I was drugged."
"She wanted a child... as messed up as it was, she wanted me to suffer the way she did. She wanted to torture me with the idea that she took everything from me. My dignity... my strength. My right to my first born. It was Hunter, my best friend who walked in. I forgot he was coming over and when he did... I was so thankful."
He choked between muffled words. "Thankful that I wasn't raped."
Marcello let go of my hands, turning away. A few tears falling when he admitted everything.
My heart fell, breaking with everything I held for this man. Tears came and dropped, an ocean slipping it's way to my chocolate eyes.
I wanted to hold onto him, I wanted to make whatever pain he felt go away. So, I did. I held him in my arms hoping that my arms would be the comfort, his support system he desperately needed. Marcello wrapped his arms around my delicate figure, breathing into my shoulder, holding me as if I would slip away.
Problem was I wasn't going anywhere. So, I took a leap.
"Marcello," he broke our embrace, his eyes looking nothing but despair. He looked so broken yet so beautiful. He was strong even when he couldn't see it.
"Stay," I said, not believing the worlds that fell out. "Can you stay with me?"
~
"Mommy! Nicky!" He squealed, his eyes moving to Marcello. I was trying to tug Issac in but he refused, wanting the both of us to tug him in. Marcello passed by the Issac's room, coming out of the bathroom. Issac noticed and now it was the both of us with Issac. Issac was happy beyond words knowing Marcello was here with him.
"Issac, you need to go to sleep." I say as Issac pouts. He huffed, crossing his arms adorably. Marcello chuckled, smoothing his hands through Issac's golden locks.
"Bud, you have to listen to Mommy. The sooner you sleep, the sooner we can go to the park." Issac's eyes beamed at the mention of the park. He couldn't wait to drive his new cars and most definitely was happy that Marcello was coming.
He laid back, pulling the small McQueen covers over himself. He was obedient, shutting his eyes shut listening to Marcello words.
"You're not going to give me a kiss?" I teased Issac. Issac opens his eyes in a flash, kissing me quickly before laying down again. I laugh fell freely from my lips, looking at Issac's silly mood.
I give him a long forehead kiss, it lingered as I felt Issac's smile beneath his lock eyes. "Goodnight, baby." My lips left his forehead, my hands moving to the small covers to tug him in.
I stand up, forgetting Marcello's presence in the room. Marcello sends me one of him jaw dropping smiles that makes me giggly inside. I blushed, going to the door. Marcello trails behind, "Goodnight, Bud." He gives Issac a sweet kiss on his forehead as well making my heart race faster.
I smiled, looking at the two. Marcello meets me by the doorway, his hands shutting off the light before closing the door in front of a tired Issac.
"You're a great mother. You know that don't you?"
"Thanks for that but it's Issac who makes it easier." Feeling bold I knotted our hands together, sweeping him away. "Let's go to bed."
~
AHH! I absolutely loved writing this chapter. I hope you enjoyed and comment down before what you think? Do you think Marcello was bad as we thought? How about Alissa?
How do you feel about Marcello's and Autumn? *Insert wink*Anyways...until next time...
Love, The Author
-Katherine