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I could still hear the men's voices as I climbed the staircase to explore what was upstairs. There was nothing much. There were three bedrooms, a study, and a restroom. Surprisingly, there was no dust anywhere, which made me suspect Mr. Romano had someone who cleaned this house regularly or had specially cleaned this house for our arrival.
After going through the rooms, which did not have much to look at, I slowly walked downstairs. I wasn’t yet sure if I had given them enough time, so I was quite hesitant on whether to proceed, especially when there seemed to be no progress in their discussion. They had switched from speaking in English to Italian. I wasn’t sure if it was safe for me to come back since I didn’t know Italian, but at the same time, their switching to Italian could have been a sign that things were escalating.
I was about to turn around and head back upstairs when Alexander’s harsh voice shocked me to a standstill.
“Questo è ridicolo!I should be at my father’s side, defending him from our enemies! Our family has a leak, and we don’t know who it is. My father is vulnerable to thenemico. I should be with him and not here playing ‘pretend family’ with a woman I do not know outside of a one-time fuck!”
My heart sank.
“Alexander!” The man who drove us here grabbed Alexander’s arms to calm him down, but not before he saw my expression.
I was sure he thought I was pathetic, feeling hurt over a couple of words in anger. That was why he rushed to stop Alexander from continuing to spew his hurtful words. While something of me was grateful to the man for stopping Alexander, another part of me wanted to know what else he wanted to say about me.
I wanted to laugh. Why did I feel hurt? What part of what he said was wrong? We did not know each other outside of the ‘one-time fuck’ we had. So why the hell did that statement hurt? Playing ‘pretend family’? Did he think I wanted to be here? Did he think I wanted to throw everything I worked hard for away?
Fuck him!
Even now, he still didn’t know that I was present. With tears filling my eyes and blurring my vision, I ran upstairs and entered a random room. I wasn’t sure what room I had entered, but I didn’t care. I didn’t want to see Alexander anytime soon.
I wanted to scream. Why was I on the verge of tears for such an asshole? Ugh! I was going to pin the blame on my pregnancy symptoms. I walked over to the bed and plopped down on it, immediately bringing my legs up and wrapping my arms around my knees.
“Your father is an asshole,” I whispered to my stomach, where life grew. Even though I knew it couldn’t hear me, insulting the person who contributed to its existence still felt nice.
I didn’t know how long I had moped around in this room until I heard a tentative knock. I wondered if it was Alexander.
I called out, “Come in,” and was relieved and, at the same time, disappointed when I saw the man, who drove us here, enter the room. I seriously didn’t understand what was going on with me. I didn’t want to see Alexander, and yet, I wanted to see him at the same time.
I wanted to groan in frustration, but I restrained myself in front of Alexander’s subordinate.
“I came to apologize for Alexander’s words.” He started saying. “He cares for his father, and he’s worried. He didn’t mean what he said.”
I barked out a laugh. “There’s no need to cover up for him. We both know he meant what he said.”
“I apologize. Let me rephrase what I said, then. He did not mean to say it in the manner that he did. I’m sure you also feel the same.” He stated with a knowing glint in his eyes.
I looked at him without saying anything. He had a point.
“Alexander is a man that when he cares, he cares deeply. He greatly adores his father. His mother died giving birth to him, so his father was the one that raised him throughout his life. He wishes to see his father safe and sound, so he’s scared for his father’s safety. His anger is a front for his worry.”
It wasn’t like I wasn’t aware that his words were an emotional outburst. I did get a bachelor’s degree in psychology, after all. I was working on getting my master’s, but it didn’t mean I would hurt any less, and I pointed it out.
“You are right. I am sure that once he calms down, he will come and apologize to you.”
I scoffed in my head. With his lividness, I wasn’t sure Alexander would be calming down anytime soon. Regardless, I appreciated this man’s goodwill and realized I still didn’t know his name.
“Um…sorry, but I don’t know your name,” I stated awkwardly.
The man looked taken aback as if surprised that I hadn’t known his name, but I couldn’t be faulted for that as I had yet to hear anyone call him by it, and if they had, then I hadn’t heard.
“I apologize.” He gave a polite smile. “My name is Antonio, but you can call me Tony. The other person is Marcello.”
Tony and Marcello. Their names sounded nice, and they seemed like interesting people to know. I was happy that I hadn’t had to ask for the other man's name, as I would have felt a little embarrassed. Imagine experiencing a life-and-death situation with someone and not knowing their name.
“Was that all you came for?” I asked.
“Well, I need to explain the rules to you to ensure your safety before Marcello and I leave.”
“You guys are not staying?” I asked in a perplexed tone. It would have been nice to have more company. I couldn’t imagine living in this house with Alexander alone.
