Page 39 of Mafia’s Fake Bride

“I’m not dismissing you, I hope you understand that Marie?” He waited for her to nod yes before he continued. “Good, because that’s not it at all. Whether you were having these symptoms or not, after what you’ve just told me, I think it’s best for you. And like I said, I still want to run some tests, just to be sure about your physical health, alright?”

“Yes, Doctor Murphy, thank you.” She looked up with a pleased smile. He’d listened to her, heard her, and that was important. Now, she had to find a way to tell all of this to Matteo. She’d hidden it all, worried that she would end up like her mother, that he’d divorce her. Or that he’d wrap her in cotton and never let her out on her own again.

He was so protective of her, she knew that if she’d told him about her problems, he’d go overboard. For now, she wanted to be calm, wanted to not be wrapped away from her own problems. She wanted to face this now that she’d turned her face towards her fears.

“I’ll wait for the pregnancy test results, and if that’s negative, I’ll write you some prescriptions. A sleeping tablet that you can take when you can’t get to sleep, and another to help you relax. Only take them when you need to, alright? They are habit-forming.”

“Of course, doctor. Thank you.”

The doctor left her in the exam room as he went out to check on another patient. The nurse came in to take blood and urine from her, and 30 minutes later Marie left with the prescriptions the doctor mentioned along with a referral to a counselor. She took a deep breath, certain now that she wasn’t pregnant.

Now, she just had to wait to find out what the other tests revealed. For now, she was glad she wasn’t pregnant. She wanted a child with Matteo, she’d decided, but in the future. Not right now, not when she was just getting to know herself and him.

Over the last few months, she’d found out a lot about herself. Without her mother there to henpeck her, she’d found she loved looking pretty for her husband. She found she was brilliant at school and her grades showed that. She’d found confidence and independence that she hadn’t realized she lacked.

Her mother was dead, and yes, she was conflicted about that; sometimes she felt heartless because she was glad to be free of her. At other times, she felt… free. Like a bird that had been let out of a cage that flew away, free to sing and explore the world it had been denied.

The cage she’d lived in had been invisible; her mother’s hatred of her a cage she couldn’t escape. She’d tried but she’d failed. She’d been too weak back then, too afraid, to leave her mother to her own life. Someone could have come in to care for her mother, more PCAs perhaps, or she could have been put into a nursing home. But Marie had been afraid, afraid and hopeful. A small, childish part of her had hoped that her mother would come to love her. That her illness would soften her and make her see how devoted Marie was to her. But that hadn’t happened, and Marie had continued to live in that prison of hope and fear.

Now, though, she thought with a shake of her dark brown hair, she could do almost anything. She had a husband she loved and desired, she had a home, a life, a future. Even if she was on the path that had taken her mother’s life, she decided, she would live the time she had with happiness.

There was a smile on her face as she held up her hand to hail a cab. The green and black maxi dress she had on billowed around her legs as she waited, a triumphant figure that probably appeared to be nothing more than a woman hailing a cab to anyone else. But to her, she knew she was the perfect image of a woman that had truly become free at last.

Sure, she had some trauma to deal with, but there was help out there. And she had Matteo. He would be a rock for her, no matter what. She knew that as well as she knew that once he got over his need to wrap her away from the world, he’d see the logic and be the companion she needed.

She gave another address to the new cabbie and when she stepped out into the late spring sunshine, sunlight glinted off of her dark hair to create a red halo around her face. A woman standing at the curb gasped as she saw the effect.

“Marie, you really are beautiful, do you know that?” Trina came up to hug Marie and lead her to a café they’d agreed to meet at. “I can’t believe it sometimes, and then there you are in all your loveliness. How are you?”

“I’m good, a little tired, but it’s been a long day already. How are you?” Marie took a seat at one of the empty tables and picked up the menu. She looked over at Trina, though, to wait for her answer.

“I’m fine, as always, Marie. What are you having?” Sunlight gleamed from Trina’s dark gray eyes, made them lighter and glint with the shine of silver.

Marie’s smile stretched a little further. Trina was lovely, too, even if she didn’t think anything of it.

“I’m going to go for something healthy, maybe a salad.” She glanced down at the menu to study it.

“Why, you’re not pregnant are you?” Trina’s eyebrows were raised in a hopeful way, her face wreathed in a smile.

“No, but I’m a little… I don’t know how to say it. A lot has happened, and I’ve just been told I need to take some time to heal from it all. And I think that’s good advice. Step one is healthy, eating, right?”

“Right.” Trina nodded and looked at the menu. “I’m here for you, you know? I know I’m part of the family, but I’m not like them, okay? I think you’re great, and a good friend. I’m here if you need anything.”

“I know you are and thank you. The same goes for you.” Marie smiled, even if Trina couldn’t see it as they both stared at the menus they held.

Trina had never been pushy about information, she’d always listened, and though she didn’t know about Marie’s childhood, it was like she could sense there was a pain in Marie’s heart, and treated her with respect. That was all she’d ever asked for, to be treated with respect, so Marie gave the same to Trina.

The future was uncertain, but Marie knew one thing, she wasn’t alone anymore.

22

Marie washed her hands once she got home and started to make dinner. Cooking was therapeutic to her and always had been. She had her favorite music on and hummed along to it as she prepared the food. She had decided it was time for something familiar and cooked the onions and bell pepper for a jambalaya that would start the dish.

A bell at the door told her she had a visitor. They rarely had visitors, so she wondered who it was. She looked out of the security hole in the door and had to take a deep breath to calm her suddenly racing pulse. With her hand on the knob, she exhaled and tried to tell herself to stay calm.

The very last thing Marie needed was to open the door and see Celeste with a sneer on her face, but there she was, sneering away. Marie schooled her features into a look of calm and tilted her head up slightly to look at the other woman.

“Hello, Marie, is Matteo home?” She waved her be-ringed hand at the doorway as if to tell Marie to move aside, but Marie stood her ground.