ALINA
My eyes slowly peeled open to meet the parallel rays of the sunlight that creeped into my room through the wide apart curtains.
I rolled over to the other side of the bed and stretched my body lazily before fully regaining my consciousness.
I slowly laid up, trying to establish how I got home as my vision adjusted to fall upon my room.
Last thing I remembered was being at the function with Dante, watching him greet and address literally everybody every now and then and now I'm seeing myself in my room and it's morning.
How did time move so fast?
Instantly, a hangover struck me and my head ached, causing me to hiss and put a hand over my forehead.
It then fully dawned me on my last night activities. I had gotten so heavily drunk and Dante had taken us out for pizza.
Did Dante actaully do that? I questioned myself to make sure it was real and not just in my imaginations.
How could dante catch me drunk and decide to take me out instead of punishing me?
Certainly that wasn't the Dante I knew. He was defintely cooking up something bigger for me.
I placed my rickety feet on the ground, flinching at the contact of the cold tiles on my feet.
My eyes then wandered to the digital clock placed on the wall before roving around the majestic bedroom.
It was already eleven am.
Shit.
I must have seriously over slept.
I proceeded to shuffle my feet into the shower.
In about twenty minutes later, I was already venturing downstairs.
Seated in the dining section was the formidable and sharp profile of Dante.
I gulped, suddenly feeling nervous and proceeded to walk past him without saying a word when his husky voice called out to me.
"You are finally awake Alina"
I halted in my steps and nodded.
"Goodmorning" I greeted before trying to leave but he stopped me again.
"Hold on"
I watched Dante stand up from his seat and amble towards me.
"You got yourself so drunk last night Alina. I took you to an event and all I expected from you was a good behaviour but like always, you failed to impress me again" Dante coldly said to me.
"I'm sorry Dante. I was just carried away" I softly whispered.
"By what?" He quickly retorted back, roughly dragging my arms and pulling me towards himself painfully.
"By Theodore?" He prod further.
Shit. He knew about Theodore. I must have blurted that one out.
"When I talk you answer" he commanded me causing me to snap out of my thoughts.
"Not by Theodore or any one. Everyone was enjoying themselves and I wanted to but I didn't mean on getting drunk"
"Now everybody probably thinks the wife of Dante lacks manners. The one time I introduced you to the public as my wife was the one time you totally embarrassed not only me but yourself" Dante jeered at me.
I acknowledged it was my fault and I should have been more careful but couldn't Dante be less rude when speaking to me?
I didn't want any more trouble. Only God knew what was brewing up in Dante's mind this morning.
"I'm sorry Dante. It won't happen again I promise" I apologised.
Dante raked my appearance with his emerald orbs, it felt like it was boring into my soul.
"Who is Theodore?" He suddenly asked.
I was expecting that.
I sighed within me and spoke. "He is a friend of mine"
"You met him in the function?" He added giving me a puzzling stare.
My heart began palpilating as I sought an answer to Dante's interrogative question.
If I say yes, Dante will defintely scold me for letting a stranger I just met get me drunk and If I said no, he might start suspecting the sort of relationship I shared with him.
He doesn't even trust me anyways.
"Have you suddenly gone deaf?!" Dante's irk tone snapped me out of my reverie.
"You are the worst wife ever! Who is Theodore and how do you know him!?" His anger grew each nano second as his patience decreased.
"He is my friend Dante. And I've known him long before I knew you" I replied, masking my fear.
A wry smile formed on the corners of Dante's lips.
"Because he is your friend, you stupidly followed his instruction when he told you to drink?"
I wanted to reply but Dante wasn't done speaking.
"I give you an instruction and you chose to disobey me but Theodore gives you an instruction and you obey him. Wow"
"It's not like that Dante" I attempted to pacify him noticing he might lash out at me any minute.
Dante's grip on my arm tightened, fury dancing in his eyes.
"Let me make one thing clear to you Alina. I don't know the sort of relationship you share with Theodore but if I see him around you next time, only by a miracle will I let him go scot free" he savagely warned before shoving me off.
"Go prepare breakfast and when you are done, this house needs a lot of cleaning so get out of my sight" Dante ordered.
I gulped and walked away pondorously.
* * * * * * * *
The evening breeze glided through my hair and was regularly whipping it across my face as I walked back from the store I went to buy cleaning supplies.
Dante had given me a hell load of work today and I hadn't had a single minute of rest.
My bones ached and my body badly wanted some breathing space.
The cleaning supplies I carried felt like dumbbells. The weight of carrying them slowed my steps down.
Sometimes I had to stop for a while in order to catch my breath before continuing my journey back home.
I had now gotten to the secluded part of this posh gated community, filled with lone houses and mansions with not a single soul in sight.
I kept on trudging back when I heard a distinct voice from behind calling me.
It was Theodore.
Was he trying to catch up with me since?
Suddenly Dante's warning earlier today began ringing in my head.
"Oh my God. You walk so fast Alina. How are you doing? I didn't see you anymore yesterday once your boss took you outside. Did he scold you?"
I shook my head at Theodore, my feet suddenly itching to leave the area. I didn't want dante to spot me with him for his own safety.
Dante had gone out this evening and he might come back any time soon.
"He took me out for pizza. By the way have you been following me?" I inquired.
"Yes actually. I saw you at a store but I was too distracted to walk up to you. Before I knew it, you had left. I badly wanted to know how you had been faring. I pressurised you into drinking and I'm really sorry. I feel relieved knowing your boss didn't scold you for it" Theodore replied softly to me.
I smiled lovingly at his words. Theodore was truly so nice.
"It's nothing ok. Thank you for trying to check up on me. I'll have to be on my way now" I told him.
"Let me help you carry those bags. You seem so stressed out" he offered.
Before I could even protest, he had taken the shopping bags from me.
"You don't have to please. Just hand them over" I urged him.
"Let me do it Alina. It's not a big deal. I promise I won't get to your house" He offered.
I turned my head back and analysed the area. This place was damn quiet. We were literally the only ones on the street.
I sighed and accepted with a smile.
Theodore and I walked down the street, talking and laughing with each other. Theodore was such a fun person to be with.
He kept me company instead of letting me carry these heavy loads down the road by myself.
For once, I felt so at peace with every thing that I didn't want him to leave.
Suddenly the screeching sound of tires driving behind us caught our attention.
The car quickly parked by a corner and the angry slamming of a door was heard.
My heart skipped a beat and my breathing got sucked away from my lungs.
It was Dante and in his face was brooding a pure, bloody anger.