AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter 35
The theater listedon the ticket for Ariana’s recital is a half-hour drive across town, and I hop in the rental SUV the second I walk out of the Riccis’ house and head there immediately.
It’s an ornate building with massive Greco-Roman columns framing the front, and stained glass skylights obscuring the night sky. After handing an usher my ticket, I’m sent in the direction of the appropriate auditorium, but spend a few extra minutes pacing outside, just in case Elena hasn’t gone in yet.
Fifteen minutes pass, and she doesn’t show up, so I go inside and find my seat.
We’re in a private box, apparently, only accessible through a separate set of stairs, guarded by an usher with braces, who smiles brightly at me when I flash my barcode.
“Mr. Anderson, seat 11B.” She glances around, then hands my ticket back. “Will the rest of your party be joining soon?”
“My party?”
Pulling out a clipboard, she flips through a small stack of papers, nodding as she apparently finds the information she’s looking for. “Yes, we have a private box reserved for Mr. and Mrs. Anderson, and the adjoining box, number twelve, booked for a Mr. and Mrs. Ricci, and two guests.”
Shaking my head, I stuff my ticket into my suit pocket, sidestepping her. “I have no clue if they’re coming or not. Can you make sure Mrs. Anderson and I aren’t disturbed?”
The kid frowns, her blush visible even in the dim lighting. “Sir, I must inform you that explicit relations are strictly prohibited on the premises, resulting in fines of up to one-thousand dollars.”
Tapping my foot impatiently, I reach into my pants for my wallet, pulling a wad of cash from the flap. “Consider this a down payment.”
I don’t wait for her to accept it, shoving it into her fist and pushing past, stepping over the velvet rope barring the staircase. Bounding up the flight, I try to calm my racing heart, preparing myself for the possibility that she isn’t up here.
Still, when I shove aside the curtain to our box, my heart beats so fast it feels like it might explode; her silhouette is lit up by the stage below as she leans forward in her chair, slumped over the balcony railing. I step down into the box, quietly approaching, my hand reaching out to grasp her shoulder, when she speaks.
“Don’t.”
It’s one word, long enough to drive through my chest and pierce the organ beating just for her. She doesn’t even glance over her shoulder or move a muscle, her body so in tune with mine at this point it seems to just know when I’m around.
Or maybe she knew I’d come. Maybe that’s what she wanted all along.
My hand falls to my side, that familiar fucking ache pulsing in the pit of my stomach.
“Elena, I—”
“If you came here to apologize, you can save it.”
Her attitude catches me slightly off guard, considering the last time I saw her, she’d looked as miserable as I felt. Crushed, like the revelation of my past bore any consequence on our future.
Devastated, like I’d chosen secrets over her.
Taking the seat next to hers, I stretch my legs out, pushing my feet against the balcony’s footboard, and fold my hands in my lap. If she’s not giving me the silent treatment, perhaps she’s had time to sit and reflect on what she’s learned tonight, and she’s decided to move on.
“I didn’t come to apologize,” I say softly, leaning up to whisper in her ear. “Although I am sorry. But really, I came to make sure you were all right.”
She doesn’t say anything for a while, silently staring out as stagehands begin setting up props, rushing from one end of the stage to the other, racing against the clock to be ready in time for the show.
Sighing, Elena shakes her head. “I’m not. Not even a little bit, Kal. And I really don’t want to talk about any of it with you.”
Squeezing the seat rests, I lean my head back, trying not to let my frustration show. “You’re my wife, little one. We have to talk about it.”
Turning her head to the side, the wall sconce provides just enough light for me to see her beautiful face cast in shadows. Her golden eyes almost glow in the lighting, or maybe I’m imagining it, creating passion and fight where I’m afraid there is none.
“How legitimate is our marriage, really? And don’t give me that bullshit line about it being as real as mine with Mateo’s would’ve been. I didn’t marry Mateo. I’m not wearing his ring. I married you, and I’m wearing yours, so tell me, Kallum...”
Her voice breaks on the last syllable, making the ache in my chest expand until it’s ready to destroy me, and she quickly straightens her chin, glancing back down at the stage.
Swallowing audibly, despite the soft chatter floating up from the floor seats, she reaches out, wrapping her fingers around the railing, and tries again. “How much of it was real, and how much did you do to get back at my mother?”
