Three

1 year later

‘Be ready by 7’.

I dropped the note back on the red dress with a sigh. That was the only way Sal communicated with me for the past one year since we got married. Through notes and only when it was necessary like for the event we had to attend today.

I had tried my best to get back the old Sal, the Sal who cared about me. But all my efforts so far seemed futile. It felt like he was even more distant than he was at the beginning of our marriage.

I rubbed my stomach, remembering the last time we were intimate. He had come home drunk and for a moment, I got a glimpse of the old Sal.

He was gentle and loving and paid attention to what I wanted and how I felt.

This time I didn’t bother trying to stop him when he went too far. And the result was a missed period. I went to the hospital and got the confirmation I needed. I was one month pregnant.

No one was aware of the pregnancy yet. I intended to inform them this evening. I was especially eager to tell Sal. At least this was the one thing I was sure would soften him and perhaps remind him of his love for me.

For that, I needed this event to be perfect. I had put in a lot of effort into planning it. It was especially hard since the event wasn’t taking place in our house but somehow, I made it work. I just hoped everything went well.

It was still early so I had a lot of time to get ready. I used my free time to call the MC I had hired for the event, check in with the caterers to ensure that they provided specific foods for guests with special needs and confirmed that the auctioneer knew exactly what he was going to do.

After running a few more last minute checks, I decided to take a rest. The time went by quickly and soon, I was getting ready for the event. It was a formal gala dinner so I was expecting several high profile guests.

I arrived on time in the wine red dress Sal had left for me together with his note. I stood at the door and personally welcomed all the guests one by one.

While I was thanking some of our old acquaintances for coming, I noticed a Rolls-Royce pull up to the entrance. It caught the attention of everyone around me too.

I stared at it until the doors opened and my husband alighted from the car. A smile started forming on my face when I saw him but the smile fell almost immediately when I saw the woman who got out from the car behind him.

He held her hands, helping her out of the car and closing the door behind them. Then she linked her right hand around his arm and they started walking up the stairs towards the entrance where I stood.

I didn’t realize my mouth dropped open in shock until they got to where I was and the gorgeous blonde lady in my husband’s arms made a comment.

“I know we look good but you can close your mouth now. Wouldn’t want something flying in there now, would we?” There was a coy smile on her lips as she spoke.

Her words made Sal turn to my direction. His face remained as stoic as ever. He only spared me a single glance before returning his attention to her.

“Shall we?”

She nodded eagerly, holding onto his arm tighter as they walked into the venue.

“Where do you get your staff from?” she asked Sal when they were barely a few feet away from me. “That woman at the door is still staring at us.”

She glanced back at me and flashed me a fake smile.

“Don’t pay any attention to her, she’s nobody,” Sal said this while cupping her face and gently stroking her cheeks.

The way he stared at her made my heart clench. They walked further into the hall and my eyes followed their every move. It wasn’t until someone else arrived that I returned my attention to the door.

As fate would have it, it just happened to be my mother-in-law.

“Enjoying the show?” she asked, her eyes moving towards Sal and the blonde woman for emphasis. “I always knew you wouldn’t last. Can’t you see how good the both of them look? Meanwhile you . . .”

She dragged her eyes over my figure and the dress I was wearing, distaste shinning in her eyes. I became suddenly conscious of what I was wearing. I didn’t particularly like the dress but I wore it because Sal chose it. Now I knew he only did so to embarrass me.

“At least you should have worn looser clothes so your extra fat would stay hidden,” she commented on the weight I gained due to my pregnancy. “And try to keep your weight intact. My son only fancies slim girls.”

She walked away when she was done speaking and I was left grieving once again. It felt as if someone had dug out my heart and poured acid into the spot from which it was removed.

I felt tears threatening to spill out but I did not want to cry. At least not here. I didn’t want to give them the satisfaction of watching me cry.

After everything I had done, this was how they chose to repay me. And I had no idea what to do. After what happened today, I was sure Sal didn’t want to be in this marriage but I couldn’t divorce him.

We signed a contract at the beginning of the marriage that stated that I could never divorce him since I was technically becoming part of the mafia with the marriage. And knowing how dangerous these people were, if I ever left, they would leave no stone unturned to find me.

But at that moment, I didn’t care about any of these things. I was done with everything and everybody. To hell with this marriage, to hell with Sal and to hell with this fucking gala.

I took a deep breath to calm myself down since I was almost hyperventilating. I swiped away my tears and started exiting the building but I bumped into somebody.

“Sorry,” I muttered and tried to sidestep the person but they called out my name and caught a hold of my arm.

Shocked, I looked up to see my father-in-law, Mr. Carlo Rossi. Overcome with emotion, I let the tears fall rapidly down my face. He patted me on the back and consoled me.

Ever since my father died, he took the role of a father in my life. Since it happened so early in my life, whenever I tried to picture my father, I could never remember him but I pictured Carlo instead.

He let me cry for sometime before he finally asked, “What happened?”

Even though I knew he had a soft spot for me, his face was a blank mask, devoid of any emotions as he stared at me. I wouldn’t have expected any less from the Don.

“Sorry, it’s nothing,” I said quickly, already hating the fact that I displayed my weakness in front of him.

Even though I wasn’t part of their family, I technically did grow up in their house so I knew all the expectations they had for people who grew up in that kind of household and being a crybaby wasn’t one of them.

He stared at me for sometime before he spoke. “Let’s go inside and talk.”

And just like that, I followed him back into the gala. The pianists I hired were doing a good job serenading the entire room. Even though I wasn’t in the best mood, I couldn’t help checking if everything was alright.

From the looks of things, the event was going really well.

“I heard you planned the entire event?” he asked once we reached a secluded corner of the hall.

I nodded in response.

“Wonderful. You did a great job,” he said, looking around the hall.

“Thank you,” I muttered.

“So what happened that made you want to leave this lovely event you’re hosting before it even concludes?”

I sighed. I knew he wasn’t used to making small talk and he would soon cut to the chase. He had given me enough time to gather myself and tell him what was wrong.

So I went ahead and did so. I told him everything, I didn’t hold back anything this time. There was no use protecting Sal when he didn’t even care enough about me to respect me in public.

By the time I was done narrating to my father-in-law everything Sal had done to me, his fists were clenched and his jaw was ticking.

I realized just how angry he was when he stormed away from me and headed straight for Sal.