14. A Walk To The Lake

Aria’s POV

I woke up to the voice of a man yelling. It sounded oddly familiar, but I couldn’t guess who it was. I blinked severally to adjust to the brightness in the room, but it only made my headache more. The voice kept going on and on, and then I heard his name, and I jerked. I was on a soft, fluffy bed, nothing like mine. It was so much better, and it smelled just as good as Matteo.

I opened my eyes and looked around my room. My eyes darted from place to place till they landed on a familiar face. He seemed angry, and I saw his mouth move severally, but I couldn’t quite hear the words that fell out. I turned to the person on the receiving end, and I saw Carter. Worry written all over his face. He looked lost, angry, and exhausted.

“…and where is that son of mine?”. I heard the familiar voice say.

“He left not too long ago”. Carter said, his voice sad.

“Any reason why he did this?”. He paused. My eyes fluttered open, and I saw the face of a familiar voice. It was Marino, Matteo’s father. The man who let his cruel son get married to me.

“No idea, Mr. Marino”. Carter said, his voice low and calculating. Careful not to spill more than he should.

I winced and groaned, and I saw the old man rush to me. Worry in his eyes. It had been a long time since anyone had shown concern for my well being. In the mansion, everyone was too focused on their own agendas and desires to worry about anyone else. But Mr. Marino was different.

He seemed genuinely concerned, his eyes filled with compassion and care. As he helped me lay back on the headrest, I felt myself relaxing, the tension in my body slowly ebbing away. It was a relief to know that someone cared.

“What did he do to you apart from locking you in that room?”. He asked, his voice stern and firm, that he reminded me of my father. I looked away from him. My head is pounding and my eyes are too heavy to open. I hissed at the stinging pain on my ankle. It’s definitely broken. Mr. Marino looked at me with slight hope that I could give him whatever information he was out for.

"Nothing sir”. My voice, hoarse.

He sighed loudly and smiled at me. A smile warmly and homily.

“I see your broken leg. I know he did that. I just need to confirm it with you. So tell me, Aria, what did he do?”. He asked, his voice the calmest I ever heard. It reminded me of how soothing my mom’s voice sounded. My lips trembled, and my frame began to shake. I was in tears. I watched him sigh loudly, signaling the man by the threshold of the door to get me something to drink. Mr. Marino kept a straight face. His eyes did not meet mine, and his teeth were clenching at intervals. He looked pissed but at that moment, he turned to me wearing a wide smile.

“Can we go for a walk?”. He asked, not dropping the soothing smile. “I hear the lake is nice and warm this time of the evening”.

I looked at the man before me. The man is trying his utmost best to put a smile on my face and make me whole again. It was as though he knew that this was just what I needed.

“I hear you go there every now and then. Come on. One day with your father in law won’t hurt”. He said, and I watched how he jumped off the fluffy soft bed and headed for the door while I took in my surroundings. This room wasn’t in any way familiar. I felt the silky material of the bed sheet against my palm, and it was so fine.

It was a beautiful shade of black here. It was dimly lighted with black heavy drapes over the windows. I looked over at Matteo’s father, waiting patiently by the door for me. He looked nothing like his son. His grey hair was tinted black, and he had a welcoming look on his face. Warm brown eyes that made you feel home. The opposite of my husband’s. I didn’t really know what Matteo’s eyes were like cause I haven’t had the guts to look him in his eyes, and I probably never will.

“Ready when you are, Aria”. Marino’s voice was loud and firm but still warm.

He signaled Carter from outside the room, but Carter didn’t dare step a foot in, and I wondered why.

“Matteo will have me fired if I dare step into his room”. Carter said, and I turned blue. I was in his room, and that was on his bed. I pushed the duvet away and jumped in fright. My ankle gave way for me to fall flat on my face on the hard ground. I forgot about the poor ankle for a minute there, causing me to sustain another injury on the head. I hissed in even more pain, and Marino was quick enough to help me up on my feet. I limped in pain to the door before Carter scooped me into his arms and carried me all the way to the lake a few meters away from the mansion with Marino trailing behind us in his thick black suit.

*

I sat on the wooden platform, the cold water below my bare feet. I could hear the birds singing, their joyful chirping filling the air. The wind rustled through the leaves of the trees, creating a hushed melody. The only sounds were those of nature, and they seemed to echo in the stillness of the moment. I glanced at my father-in-law, and I could hear his chuckle, so similar to Matteo's. The only resemblance between them.

“Matteo would fill his plate just to feed the dog. It's not like he wanted any bit of it. He starved himself just so Mr. Ranger would eat”. He said, smiling from ear to ear. I laughed when I heard this story of my husband. The cruel man I knew him to be. I didn’t think he could ever be like this.

“He had this cape he wore proudly to save animals on the street. He hid them away and fed them anytime his mom and I were out”. I couldn’t miss the crack in his voice when he mentioned Matteo’s mother.

“Where is she now?”. I asked, watching him become completely sad.

“She walked away from Matteo and I. And my son was never the same again. He spent more time with his pets and his favorite dog, Mr. Ranger he loved more than anyone in the world, but it died. It got hit by a car, and he became worse. Matteo wasn’t just the same boy I raised”. He gulped. Tears threatened to leave his eyes.

“I’m sorry about that”. I whispered, but he heard my voice.

“No, it’s fine. We’re fine”. He sniffled. “I love my son a lot, and I wish he could tell me what goes on in his head sometimes. I just don’t understand him. I want to. I really want to know what he’s thinking, but Matteo is just Matteo”. He sighed.

“I also want to know what goes on in his head. He says one thing and does something out of the question”. I said. My head raced with thoughts of him.

“Do you hate him?”. Marino asked, and I saw a sparkle of hope in his eyes.

“More than you think sir”. I said, and that was the firmest I’ve ever sounded in a long time. Marino nodded and smiled.

“You know, when he got married to Daya, he didn’t buy an extravagant mansion so she could live in. He took her to his penthouse. The place he shared with all his whores. He took her there to live as his wife” I paid complete attention immediately. I heard the name I dreaded so much “daya”.

“When Matteo brought Daya to me. I wasn’t too fond of her. I knew it wasn’t all of her he was in love with. And I knew what he was in love with was her snarky comments and how she talked back at him anytime he spoke. He loved that about her”. He shrugged. “I don’t know why he did that. I never liked her, but I knew his mind was made up already”.

“He still loves her”. I uttered.

“I thought as much”. He said with his hands deep in his pockets.

“Then why? Why marry me to him when you know he won’t ever love me”. I asked, and something in me pierced my heart.

“Cause I know you’re good for him”. He said.