38 | Aurelia with another man
After a few long days in Chicago, dealing with business, I'm finally back home.
The penthouse in Chicago that Gabriele lived in felt cold, empty, a constant reminder that I didn't belong there.
What's bothering me now, as I stand at the front door, is something I never expected to feel: a strange sense of relief
I missed being back home even with all the chaos that's swirled around my marriage to Aurelia.
I step inside the mansion and I ask the maid in the hallway, "Where's Aurelia?"
Her response is quick but almost hesitant, her eyes avoiding mine. "She's in her bedroom, sir."
I nod, trying to brush off the odd tension in the air. I don't know why it feels so heavy, but I ignore it, walking towards the staircase without a second thought.
My footsteps echo in the the hallway as I ascend to the second floor, heading directly to Aurelia's room.
I don't knock. I don't even think to. Something pulls me forward, a need to see her after a long trip, and before I know it, I'm at her door, pushing it open.
The sight inside her bedroom stuns me. It's almost like someone dropped a brick onto my chest.
Aurelia is standing in front of Franco, adjusting the face mask on his face. Her touch is careful as she brushes the mask over his features. It's almost tender, the way her fingers move with purpose.
But that's not what gets me.
What tears through me is the way she's smiling at him. She's smiling. Not just any smile, but the kind of smile that I've never seen on her face when it's directed at me.
She's... happy. Her eyes are bright, genuine. I've never seen her like this, not with me. It's as if she's living a different life here, one without the weight of everything we've been through.
And then there's Franco who's sitting in a chair. He's calm, his gun holstered and his earpiece in.
He looks so at ease, like he belongs in her space, in her life. It doesn't matter that he's just her bodyguard. His presence here, the way he carries himself it's like he's already something more than that.
I can feel the jealousy rising up in me, bitter and sharp and I hate it.
I've never felt jealousy before. Not with Ciara, not with any other woman.
Ciara would throw herself at other men, and I wouldn't care.
Because with her, it was all just a show. A transaction. A trophy wife.
But with Aurelia?I feel like something twists in my gut and heart.
It doesn't make any fucking sense. Aurelia was supposed to be Chase's little sister. That's all she was supposed to be to me. But now as I watch her smile at another man like she's never smiled at me, something inside me breaks.
Aurelia's changed the past month. She looks different. She's not the fragile, lost girl I married. She's stronger now, more at peace, and it's clear that she's not just healing, she's flourishing. And it's because of Franco.
I can see that now. He's the reason she's changed. The reason she's smiling, and it makes me fucking sick.
I stand there in the doorway, my mind racing. Why does it bother me so much? Why does it feel like a punch to the gut?
I'm confused. I don't know what these feelings mean. But I know one thing: I'm jealous and I can't fucking stand watching Aurelia with another man.