Unrequited love.

Aria’s POV.

Early morning sunlight glinted through the curtains in gold, as faint sounds of the city drifted below.

The noise of distant traffic hummed through the window.

Aria quietly adjusted her legs, so she won’t wake the kids from their sleep.

Her phone laid beside her, screen dark.

Aria had tried to close her eyes. 

She thought that maybe if she slept, it wouldn’t hurt any more.

But she was wrong. 

No matter how she forced herself to sleep, the more unsettled she was.

Sleep didn’t come, she just waited for morning.

She clutched her chest as the woman’s voice replayed in her head.

It sounded so clear and sharp, not something that could be mistaken.

“Honey. I’m cold. Come and cuddle.”

Andrea never allowed her to call him those names.

He avoids her like the plague, even her kids weren’t exempted.

She stands and walks toward the kitchen to prepare breakfast for the kids.

Aria filled the kettle and set it on the stove.

She stretched her hands to get bread, plates, and cups.

The spoon slipped from her finger and hit the counter, she panicked, but then bent down to pick it.

Laura hummed from the table, swinging her legs. Luca watched her instead of his food.

Aria buttered the bread slowly. By the time she noticed the smell, it was already burnt.

She tried to scrape it clean, and served it anyway.

Aria made her way into the dining to get the children ready for the day.

She watched the kids eat as bread crumbs scattered on the table.

Every sound the children made startled her.

She almost spilled hot coffee on herself. 

Luca’s voice snapped her back to reality.

“Mama,” he called, voice soft. “Papa didn’t show up for our birthday.”

Laura cut him off. “Did he sleep out again?”

Her chest rose and fell unevenly, she gripped the table, her knuckles turning white.

“Papa was busy. He promised to make it to you.”

“Luca, I think papa doesn’t like us.” Laura said.  

Aria felt the words harder than anything Andrea had ever said to her.

“Don’t say that baby. Your father loves you more than anything.” Aria murmured.

Luca hesitated before speaking. “Papa won’t let us come close either.”

Aria’s chest tightened.

“I don’t like him,” Laura added quietly. 

She patted them gently on their hair, smiling.

“Who says papa won’t let you come close. He just needs time….”

The sound on the door cut her off, she panicked.

There he was, Andrea Ross, standing outside the door, face cold.

In two strides, he walked inside. 

The kids stopped talking, focused on their breakfast.

He didn’t say anything, he tossed his coat on the couch and headed to the dining.

The scent on his body was different. He smelled like someone else.

Aria didn’t say anything. 

Couldn’t open her mouth, she just tried to control her emotions, folding her hands into a grip.

She let out a deep sigh. “I made toast for breakfast.”

He tapped on his screen, pretending not to hear her.

“Do you want some?” 

“No. I already had breakfast. You can go ahead and have yours.”

She didn’t push further. 

The children watched him while they ate, almost freaking out.

After some seconds, he turned toward their direction.

They quickly moved their eyes away from him.

The silence in the room felt so sharp and awkward, Aria almost tripped lost in her thoughts.

Every second she looked at him, she imagined how intimately he must have been with his lover last night.

Every second she pretended she was fine, not wanting him to notice any weird behavior, hot blood flushed her lungs.

“How was your business meeting?” She asked, walking toward the table.

He didn’t answer right away, his eyes were still glued to his phone.

“Mama, we’re running late,” Laura reminded, breaking the silence.

The kids had been expecting him to maybe say something to them.

But he didn’t. 

His presence had always frightened them.

Aria hurriedly got the kids ready as she dressed up too for work.

Despite being in a cold marriage with Andrea, Aria had sworn not to depend on him for survival.

She had worked at Sony pictures as a screen writer for years before her marriage.

Lucky for her, the company’s manager, David and his wife, had seen her through her pregnancy period.

Always caring for her and the kids.

“We’re leaving.” Aria said as they stepped out.

“Have a nice day. Don’t stress out.” She added.

*****

In less than thirty minutes, Aria and the kids arrived at school.

She dropped them off as usual.

Aria was stopped by a teacher when she turned to leave.

“Mrs, there will be a parent-teacher meeting on Friday. We require your presence or that of their father.” A teacher announced.

“Okay, Ma’am. I’ll be there.”

“I’ve noticed you’ve been the only one attending their school activities.”

“You should persuade their father to do the same too. Children tend to be sensitive especially at this age of growth.”

Aria’s throat went dry. She paused to say something, but words didn’t come out.

“He always does whenever he gets the chance to.” She said, faking a smile on her face.

When she finally walked to her car, she let out a deep sigh as tears stung her eyes.

She held them back so it wouldn’t smudge her makeup.

“I won’t start my day by ruining it for someone who doesn’t deserve it.” She whispered to herself.

When she drove off, a black silk car followed behind.

*****

“Sir,” a man dressed in a black suit called out. 

“We’ve been following her around for days. Why don’t you just tell her your intentions?”

There was a brief silence between them.

But then he cleared his throat. “I don’t want to get her agitated.”

“Isn’t she the unloved wife of Andrea Rossi?”

“No. She’s mine. It’s just a matter of time. The only reason I haven’t bankrupted Rossi's family is because she still has his last name.”

He clenched his hands on his thighs. 

“Get people to protect her secretly. If she loses a hair in her head, you’re a dead man.”