CHAPTER THIRTY EIGHT

He was supposed to push her away, she expected him to push her away, but he stood there

His palm made contact with her back, and he rubbed slow circles on it

“Sharon Gray, what the fuck are you wearing”

His voice was strained

And somehow, it sounded comical, it didn't sound like he was reprimanding her

She looked up at him

“It's— it's a nightgown I bought online

I won't wear it anymore if—”

“I never said I didn't like it” his voice came in a whisper

“But—you never said you liked it either”

Luca pulled away from her embrace

“I like it if I'm the only one seeing it”

She must've heard wrong, she heard wrong, Luca was not talking about her

“What—?”

“Nevermind”

He wasn't going to repeat it again

“Have you had dinner?”

He asked her

“Not really, I barely touched my food when you arrived”

Why was he asking if she has eaten? Why was she answering him like she wanted them to eat together?

“Go, I'll be with you shortly”

She nodded

It was all too awkward. We're they perhaps—

Behaving like a normal couple?

Impossible, he was just being courteous because he wasn't drunk. He probably had a good day or something

Sharon tried to eat, but she couldn't concentrate on the food

Then she felt him, Luca

She raised her head up, and there he was. He was wearing a black tee and loose brown pants

She could see the muscles through his shirt

She could trace the contours of his jaw with her eyes

His hair was slightly wet

“Hey”

He called, making her realise that she had been staring at him for too long

“Um— hi”

She sounded like an awkward teenager

“Pass me the salad”

Her movements were clumsy, and it amused him

They had dinner like they were a normal couple, which was weird

“Luca”

Sharon called

He looked at her, his eyes had been on her the whole time

“Can I— go see my mother tomorrow?”

It was a risky request. There was no way in the world he was letting her do that

“Yes

Yes you can”

*******************

Sharon breathed the familiar air of home as she walked into The Gray family mansion.

Arman had come with her on Luca's instruction. Also there was another bodyguard aside from the driver.

So technically, Sharon had come with three men, two of which were armed

Sharon thought it was unnecessary really

Lucky for her, her father was out of town. She wasn't there to see him anyway

Immediately Mrs Gray locked eyes with her daughter, she ran over to embrace her.

She had been feeding the birds, a little hobby of hers. Also the Gray mansion was built on a plot that had many trees.

Sharon let out a tear as her mother held her

“I missed you mum, I really did”

Her mother looked over to see Arman standing with the other bodyguard

“Your husband doesn't take security lightly”

Sharon smiled

“He doesn't”

Sharon and her mother chatted for hours on end

Arman and his buddy were on the ground floor,

“Is he— bad to you?”

Mrs Gray asked, looking serious.

She had been beating around the bush, trying to make Sharon settle down before they would talk about the elephant in the room

“He's— I don't know”

Sharon said, fidgeting in her seat

“Does he abuse you in any way?”

“No, not really”

Sharon's mind drifted to the first day she spent at Luca's mansion. How he treated her roughly, how he bruised her with a kiss

She remembered how he choked her in the bathroom at their engagement dinner, how he separated the house so he could avoid her

How he cheated on her and made her watch

That could count as abuse

But there was one thing that separated Luca from her father, actually there were a lot

No matter how angry he was, he never laid a finger on her. He didn't beat her up, or rape her

He could've raped her, when she was drunk, when she disguised herself as Riann and drank herself to stupor. But he didn't

and if he was drunk, he took his frustration out on the decor, the furniture, everything but her

“He's not abusive mum, he's just distant”

Mrs Gray thought for a moment

“Are you happy with him?”

Sharon was silent. She hadn't really thought of it before, but if she had to choose between spending time in her father's house, under his dictates

And enduring marital life with Luca, she would choose Luca

And she had no idea why

Was it because she was happier with him?

“I don't know mum, I don't understand anything. It's complicated”

Mr's Gray hugged her daughter

“I tried mum, I tried to poison him. I couldn't do it”

She sobbed through her mother's embrace

Then she reached I to get purse and brought out the bottle

“I can't do it, I just can't”

She slipped it into her mother's palms

There was silence for a moment

Mrs Emilia looked into her daughter's eyes

“You love him”

“No i don't”

“I wasn't asking you Sharon, I was telling you” A single tear slipped down Mrs Gray's eye

Sharon was in disbelief. Did her mother really think she loved Luca? It would explain a lot of things, but Sharon didn't believe she loved him

You can't keep denying it Sharon, I've known you since you were in my womb.

“I don't, it's not—”

You don't have to take my word for it, just don't get hurt okay?

Don't you dare get hurt