Chapter 10
MADALINA
“ W hy do you never sleep in here?” I ask Dario when he starts to get dressed. I don’t want to pick a fight, especially since we’ve been getting on with each other so well the past week, but I am curious. Dario has been home much more, lately, and we seem to be getting more intimate with each other. I’ve left the house to enjoy a few more shopping trips with Lorna, and she’s helped me make use of the facilities here. But most of the time it’s just been him and me. I have to admit, life hasn’t been so bad. It’s amazing what a little bit of reasoning can do for a marriage.
“Because this is your room,” Dario answers as he finishes buckling up his belt.
“We have separate rooms?” I check, wondering how it’s taken me this long to realize.
“We’ve been married three weeks and you are just picking up on this now?” He laughs at me.
“Why?” I ignore my own ignorance and ask, not quite understanding why the thought hurts so bad.
“I figured you’d want your space away from me.” He shrugs, and when I realize that I don’t, it takes a while for me to let it sink in .
“So, you were going to force me to get pregnant with your child, but offer me the courtesy of my space?” It’s me who’s laughing now, and the look on his face suggests he is not impressed by my humor.
“I have things to do today, perhaps you could invite your stepmother over.”
“Or I could go visit her.” I climb onto my knees and look at him seductively. I’ve come to learn that it can help me get my way.
“You know I prefer you to stay at home whenever possible.” He buttons up his cuffs and makes me question what his true feelings are about me. I get that being his wife puts a target on my head, and that we were both forced into this, but I can’t help wondering if, deep down, he really does care about me.
“I’d like to see my father and brother, I haven’t seen them since the wedding,” I point out.
“Fine, Lucian will drive you, but make sure you are home in time to get ready for tonight.”
“Tonight?” He catches me off guard.
“Yes, we have a party to go to,” he tells me casually, opening my pills and shaking one onto his palm before holding it out for me. I smile as I take it, reminded of my victory and starting to wonder if I might be able to fall for this man.
“Have fun with your family,” he tells me, flicking my nose with his finger the way he’s started doing recently, then leaving me smiling like a goof as he walks out the door of my bedroom.
“Have fun working,” I call after him, before scrambling out of bed to find myself something to wear.
I can hear him shouting in his office when I come down the stairs and since Luician is already waiting by the door to take me to my father’s new home, I think it’s best I leave him to whatever it is he’s dealing with and move on .
We pull up outside my family's new mansion just under an hour later, with a security team following close behind. Serena looks excited as she rushes out the door to welcome me.
“Madalina!” She throws her arms around my shoulders and breathes me in like we’ve been separated for months and it feels so good to see her, I could burst into tears.
“It's good to see you.” She leans back and checks me over. “You look well.” Guiding me inside, she smiles over her shoulder at Lucian politely. “Come see our new home,” The excitement in her voice is infectious and reminds me of why I agreed to marry Dario. Not that I had much choice in the matter, Thadeo DeMarco is not a man many can say no to.
“This place is beautiful.” I smile once she’s finished showing me around their lavish new home. Of course, it’s nowhere near as elaborate as Dario’s place, but it’s a vast improvement on the home we had before. It’s modern and fresh, there are no repairs that need doing to the building like there were at our old mansion.
“You wait till you see your father, he is so much happier than he was before. He’s taken up golf, that's where he is, right now. He tells me this district practically runs itself.” Serena looks deliriously happy and it’s rewarding to see. “Now, I just need to know that you're okay.” She looks away to thank the housemaid after she’s placed our coffees on the bistro table, and I try to think of where I can start.
“Nothing much has happened, I’ve just been settling into married life.” I give her the answer she wants to hear.
“And is he kind to you?” she checks with a frown on her face that warns me not to lie.
“Kinder than I thought he would be.” I smile over the rim of my coffee cup before I take a sip.
“And… in other places, is he kind to you th ere? I assume he’ll be wanting to start a family right away?” She looks as if she feels sorry for me.
“Actually, we talked about that and decided to wait.” I look down at my dress and play with the hem to avoid eye contact and when I’m brave enough to look back up, Serena is staring at me in shock.
“He wants to wait?” She checks she heard me right as she places her cup on the table.
“No, I wanted to wait. I don’t feel like we know each other well enough to bring a child into the world. I told him I wasn’t ready,” I admit.
“Wow.” She laughs as she takes in what I’ve said. “I did not think the DeMarcos could be negotiated with. But then, you always have been a smart girl.” She slides her hand through my hair fondly.
“Which leads me to a question...” I don’t feel so smart having to ask her this. “...Have you ever been on the contraceptive pill?”
“Yes, for many years. I decided after I married your father that I wanted to focus on being a good mother to you and Nicolas. He made it clear he didn’t want more children.” She smiles, although I sense there's a little sadness behind it.
“I’ve started to take it, you know until we are ready, and I was wondering if you still get periods. I thought I’d had one just before the wedding but then I remembered I was definitely having one when we went to the first dress fitting, and that was a few weeks before. That would mean I’m late, but if the pill stops your periods…” I bite my lip, unsure of how it works. I guess that's what happens when you let your husband take full control of your birth control methods instead of seeing a doctor yourself.
“Some do, some don't, I think it depends on what one you're taking.” Serena shrugs, “Do you think there’s a chance you could be pregnant?” She studies me curiously.
“There were a few days just after the wedding while those negotiations were taking place,” I admit, feeling my stomach start to knot. I can’t be pregnant, not now. I’ve got my head around Dario and I trying to make this marriage work. I know it’s what he would want and it would make him happy, but I just can’t imagine me being a mom yet.
“You should take a test to be sure.” Serena grabs my hand across the table.
“I will, just not today. I’m sure it’s the pill. I don’t feel pregnant. Surely that's something you would feel, right?” I really need her to agree with me.
“I’m sure you would.” She smiles again as she tells me what I need to hear, then putting on her sunglasses she rests back her head and continues to soak up the midday sun.
I arrive home in plenty of time to get ready for the party and when I see a dress already laid out on the bed for me, I don’t even allow myself to get irritated. When you live with a control freak there are certain things that you just have to let go.
I take a shower and fix my hair, before getting into my dress and matching shoes, and just as I’m checking myself in the mirror, the bedroom door opens and Dario walks in wearing a tux.
“Wow!” I say my thoughts out loud as I look him over through the reflection, and when he steps toward me, he wraps his arms around my waist and rests his hands on my stomach.
“I knew you’d look good in this dress.” He smiles at our reflection. “Did you have fun with your family?” he asks as he kisses my jaw. I appreciate his interest, I appreciate everything about the way he’s been just lately.
“I only got to see Serena, Nic was busy and Father was playing golf.”
“Golf? Obviously, he is finding his district too easy.” Dario makes me laugh when he nips at my neck.
“No, he takes his role very seriously.” I quickly spin around. “He would never?—”
“Relax, I was making a joke,” he informs me. “I am capable of it from time to time.” His forehead presses against mine, making me wonder what's gotten into him. Things may have been easier between us these past few weeks, but this is a side of him I’ve never seen before.
“I was thinking that you probably shouldn’t drink tonight, just in case.” His hand pats my flat stomach.
“In case the whole room knows that I’m only nineteen?” I giggle nervously. In normal circumstances, people might say I’m too young for marriage, and that Dario is too old. He’s only six years older than me which, in our world, is no gap at all.
“That, and the fact there's a slight chance you could be?—”
“I’m not pregnant,” I stop him before he can finish. “Is that what this is all about?” I question him when everything starts to click into place. “You're being nice to me because you think there is a chance I might be carrying your heir?” I laugh through the hurt that thought causes.
“That's not the only reason, at all. I agree with you. I want this to work and–”
“Get the thought out of your head, because I’m not pregnant, Dario!” I shove him off me and head for the door. When he snatches my wrist and pulls me back, I almost trip on my heels and fall into his chest.
“I don’t care how slight the chances are, until I know that you aren’t carrying my child, I will take care of you and protect you as if you are.” His grip on me is tight and the tension behind his words reminds me of the man I married. “Now…” He aids me in getting my feet straight, “stress isn’t good for a pregnant woman, so take some time to calm yourself. I’ll see you in the car.”
He walks away from me, leaving me full of frustration and wanting to punch something. Preferably him.