Chapter 3 – Five Years Later
RAQUEL
FIVE YEARS LATER
“Sweetheart, you’re about to pop that baby out any day now,” Dante says from beside me, grabbing a bag of grapes and throwing it into our shopping cart. “You should be home resting, with your feet up, not out food shopping with us.”
My lips thin into a tight smile and I arch a single brow at my sexy husband, who right now, is doing a great job at irritating a very uncomfortable me. “I need this son of yours to come out like right now, and the doc said to walk. A lot. So that’s what I’m trying to do.”
“What do those docs know anyway?” He wraps the small of my back with his strong arm and kisses me softly on my lips. “That kid is a Cavaleri, baby. He’s gonna come out when he feels like it.”
I scoff, pushing him away playfully, but he chuckles, tugging me to him once more. “Well, you better have a talk with our boy because he’s now two days past due and his mama is growing achy and crabby.”
“But still beautiful.” Dante leans that mouth close to my ear, our eyes on Carnelia as she grabs some raspberries and throws them into the cart. “Promise when we get home, I’m gonna run you a nice warm bath, and when she goes to bed, I’m gonna rub the shit out of your feet all damn night.”
A smile radiates my face as I let out a feathery sigh or maybe it was a moan that escaped me. “Did I mention, I’m obsessed with you?” I tell him, my head falling over his shoulder.
His laughter is warm and husky as he kisses the top of my head. “I love you too, sweetheart.” This man—he makes me so happy. So content.
In these past few years, he’s been the most amazing husband, especially recently as I navigated this rough pregnancy.
Between the constant back issues and my blood pressure being higher than they liked, the doctors have kept a close eye on me this time around.
And in the past couple of weeks, I haven’t been in any mood to have sex.
This is the first time it happened in all the years we’ve been together.
I was honestly nervous it’d ruin our marriage, but he’s been more than understanding.
All he wants to do is take care of me. He cooks for me and gives the most amazing massages.
God, I miss him.
I hope my sex drive comes back after the baby. We never struggled this way with Carnelia. We made the time, even while her sleeping was far and few in between.
“You’re a great mom, baby.” He tugs me tighter. “That boy is going to love you as much as we do.”
“You’re a great dad too,” I whisper, swelling with an ache behind my eyes.
“And the most attentive husband.” I lift my head, turning to him, my hand holding his cheek.
“In all our time together, I’ve never regretted a moment with you.
You’re everything I could want in a man, Dante. I’m lucky to have you.”
He clasps a rough palm to my nape, his gaze searing into mine with so much affection, I drown in it, forgetting where we are, even for those single moments.
Dante kisses me softly, and I melt into our love.
“Mommy?” Carnelia’s voice drifts from beside us.
Dante groans, reluctantly pulling away.
“Yes, bab—?” I look toward her direction and my heart sinks. “Where is she?” I frantically ask Dante, snapping my gaze all around us. My pulse races a mile a minute, my hands growing ice cold.
“Carnelia? Where are you, baby?” I shout, my feet already moving. As people start to look our way. Dante is marching right next to me. “She was just here,” I anxiously say, swallowing the dread scraping up my insides.
“She probably went to the candy aisle.” He laughs, but I can tell he’s nervous too.
My heart pounds, my body hot and cold all at once. “Carnelia? Where did you go, baby?” We wander haphazardly down the produce aisle, heading for the candy section.
“Baby, it’s okay,” Dante tries to reassure. “She has to be here.” But that does nothing to help me because my daughter isn’t here.
I’m trembling, running down the nearby aisle, looking both ways, not finding her anywhere.
“Carnelia!” Dante yells. “Come on, baby girl. This isn’t funny.”
I choke on my fear, ready to tell him to inform the security and police.
“Mommy, I’m here!” she shouts and my breath catches, my gasping breaths slamming into my chest while I’m running toward her voice, tears swarming in my eyes, my throat throbbing from the heaviness of my emotions.
I don’t care how damn huge I am, I run like I’ve never run before. When I see her, all the blood from my face rushes out.
“Carnelia.” The word is a sharp bite as I glare at the person standing tall next to our daughter. “Go to your father. Right now.”
“But, Mommy, I was getting my ball from—”
“Now, Carnelia.” I can’t even look at her, my eyes unable to rip away from the woman who I once called Mom.
“Carnelia, come here, baby,” Dante now says, his footfalls approaching behind me, and she quickly goes running to him.
He places a hand on my shoulder, holding our daughter in his arms. I don’t even have to see his eyes to know they carry the same contempt I carry in mine.
I angle in a step, my gaze narrowed. “Stay the hell away from me and my family.” Contempt is laced thickly in my tone.
She snickers. “Nice to see you too, dear.” Her long fingernails run through her blonde highlights.
“Not sure what you’re going on about. I was minding my business when she ran right into me, chasing this ball here.
” She stares at her hand, containing my daughter’s pink fuzzy ball within it.
“I was simply retrieving it for her. You could say thank you.” She glares with scorn, eyeing me with a callous grin she wears proudly.
“I see you’re having another.” She takes a look at my stomach and all I want is to hide my child away from her. Both of them.
“What happens to me is none of your concern,” I stress, trying like mad to control my heavy breathing, but it’s impossible.
I haven’t seen or spoken to her at all since the last time we talked on the phone while I lay in the hospital thanks to her after what Carlito did to me.
“I’m glad I didn’t take any of my motherly lessons from you. ”
“Not sure how much of a good thing that is.” She arches a mocking brow.
“Who is that, Mommy?” Carnelia asks, loud enough for that evil woman to hear.
“I’m your gra—”
“Don’t you ever say that word to her.” My voice rises, people scattering past us, sensing the tension.
“You’ll never be that to my children. Do you understand me?
” I take another step forward. My heartbeats pounding through me, making anger and nausea swirl in my gut.
“You mean nothing to us. You never will.” Dante’s hand suddenly tucks in mine, and he gives me a reassuring squeeze.
“If I see you next to any of my children again, you better turn the other way and pretend you don’t know us.
Daddy wasn’t the only one with connections.
We have friends everywhere, and with a flick of a finger, I can have an order of protection drawn up against you.
Or better yet, have you thrown in prison for just about anything I can dream up.
” Anger roils in my chest, my bitter smile tasting like victory.
She laughs cruelly. “Are you that afraid of me, darling daughter?” She flips her hair with the back of her hand.
“My goodness, you’d think I’m a criminal.
Like your husband.” She punctures Dante with a glare, and I swear I’m ready to land a punch into her perfect, white teeth.
I’m not the same woman she remembers. She’s going to learn that quick if she continues.
Dante’s breathing speeds up, but he remains silent, his hand tightening around mine.
“You ever disrespect my husband again,” I grit with a snicker, dropping his hand and walking up to her until I’m close enough to whisper the rest in her ear. “I will kill you.”
She snorts, laughing dismissively. “You need therapy.” The taunting look in her eyes comes quick before her whole demeanor shifts.
“Get away from me. Help!” She lifts her hands in the air, her chest flying up and down as she begins to cry, glancing around the store. “Someone help! This woman is crazy!”
“You’re pathetic,” I tell her, shaking my head. “Always have been. Always will be. I can’t wait until you die. Alone,” I whisper as she finally quiets, those eyes rounding at me. “With no one by your side. Because that’s what you deserve.”
That gets her mood to change back to her regular deranged one. “Do you know what I tell people when they ask what happened to you?” she hisses.
When I don’t answer, she continues, “I tell them you’re dead.”
“That makes two of us.” A smile wraps around my lips and there’s not an ounce of sadness in my heart, because I never had a mother at all.
“Is everything okay here?” a manager asks, his glasses tripping down his nose as he fixes them.
“Yes, Andy, thanks.” Dante walks up, clasping his hand with a shake. “My wife and her estranged mother were having a little disagreement.” He leans in closer. “The woman is a little . . .” He circles his index finger around his temple.
“Don’t you listen to him!” my mother snaps, grabbing Andy’s arm, and he gently flicks it off.
“Ahh, do you need help, ma’am?” Andy scratches the top of his balding head.
“She’s the one that needs help,” she snaps, pointing at me.
“I got this, Andy. We’ll get her out of here.” Dante gives him that winning smile.
“Ahh, okay. Well, if you need me . . .” He sets to walk away.
“We’re fine.” Dante grins. “We’ll behave. I promise.”
“Okay, have a nice day.” Then he’s gone, leaving us with her.
“Nice try, Mother,” I grit.
“We should go, baby,” Dante says, coming up to me. “But hear me,” he now tells her. “You come anywhere near my family, and the things that I’ll do . . . well . . .” He snickers. “Let’s just say, you know what I’m capable of already. Except now, I have children to protect from the likes of you.”
She pops her chin up, looking this way and that, pursing her lips, fixing her satchel on top of her shoulder.
“And unlike you”—he bends in real close—“I actually know how to protect what’s mine.”
Her wrath-filled eyes go to us again, but her mouth stays shut. For once, my mother is speechless.
“It must kill you to know I’m happy,” I say with a grin. “And that you didn’t get anything you wanted.”
“Whatever.” She dismisses us with a flick of her hand. “I’m done here.”
She doesn’t even look at Carnelia, and I hate that this happened in front of her. But God, I couldn’t hold myself back. I waited so long to tell her off, knowing I probably never would, and when I saw her, it all came out.
She took and she took, to make herself fulfilled in some demented way, while I suffered.
My therapist says she’s a classic narcissist, and I guess, over the years of speaking to him, I can see it.
Now, it’s like I’m looking at her with clearer eyes.
She’s crazy. I don’t care what clinical term there is for her, but she is truly insane. She has to be.
She blows out a noisy breath, and with a stare filled with derision, she turns away and marches out of sight, her short heels clacking until we no longer hear them.
“Are you okay, Mommy?”
I face my daughter, throwing a huge smile onto my face, faking it for her. “Of course I am!” I blink back tears. How could my own mother treat me this way? “I have you, your daddy, and soon your baby brother. I’m the happiest mommy alive.”
“Good.” She nods. “Because whoever that lady was, I don’t like her. Not one bit.”
Dante chuckles, placing her down on her feet, and she takes both of our hands in hers.
“Me neither, baby,” I say as we head back to our shopping cart, still where we left it, and together, we finish shopping and head out the door.
Once we make it back to Dante’s SUV, and Carnelia is strapped in her car seat, Dante tugs my hip and pulls me close enough to kiss me. “If that bitch doesn’t put you into labor, I don’t know what will.”
I scoff. “It’s the least she can do.”