Chapter Three
1056 Words
Giulia Rossini wished she could disappear into thin air at that moment. All she wanted to do was to give Dante a towel to conceal his nakedness. Nothing prepared her for what happened next: she accidentally slipped and fell hard on the floor, exposing herself to Dante naked self.
“Oh my God,” she groaned, quickly averting her gaze from Dante. “I promise you, I didn’t see anything!”
“Is that so?” Dante’s voice was steady, coated with sarcasm.
Her face burned bright red. “Okay… probably a little! But it wasn’t intentional.” She stretched the towel to him without looking at him.
Dante wasn’t moved. “It’s fine,” he said calmly, collecting the towel from her while wrapping it around his waist.
Giulia stood there, embarrassed, unable to move. This man is a rollercoaster of emotions. One minute, he’s cold, another minute, he’s all sweet and jovial.
He opened the first-aid box and sat on the couch. “Sit,” he tapped the space beside him.
“Uh?”
“You are in pain.” He gestured towards her injured thigh.
Giulia glanced at her thigh. Truly, there was a cut on her that she was too mortified to notice.
“Oh, don’t worry about it.” She dismissed him.
He wouldn’t take no for an answer. He took a pair of scissors as he drew her thigh closer.
Her eyes widened in surprise. “Put that away, please.”
“Stay still,” he said with a calm voice. “I need to cut the torn fabric to dress the wound.”
“You can just raise…”
Snip!
He cut the knickers before she could complete her sentence, making the wound visible.
Giulia panicked, shaking a bit. “Couldn’t you at least cut it slowly?”
“I love to be quick,” Dante said, dabbing the Iodine by the side of the wound.
She cried out in pain. “Ouch! That really hurts.”
“Be calm,” he cautioned, his hands working without hesitation. “Unless you want it bacteria-infected.”
Giulia squeezed her face, but stayed calm, secretly admiring him as he concentrated on attaching the bandage. His expression read no emotion.
“Done,” he said eventually, sticking the bandage firmly on her thigh. “Keep it dry for three days.”
She nodded in gratitude, avoiding his gaze. “Thank you.”
Dante got from the couch and said firmly, “We need to talk.”
“About what?” Giulia feigned ignorance.
He matched his gaze with hers. “We are officially husband and wife.”
She laughed. “Oh! That was a charade, the marriage is not real,” she said dismissively.
“Our marriage is real,” He spoke calmly yet firmly.
Giulia stared hard at him, trying to figure out what he said as if he said something intelligible. “You’re not serious, right? Then, she burst into a hysterical laughter. “Fine, you won. I have laughed. Stop the jokes now, please.”
Dante bent intimidating over the table. “Does it look like I’m joking?”
“But Serena said it was a fake marriage certificate.” She spat out, afraid.
Dante chuckled softly. “Immediately, I heard what Serena did, I arranged for an original copy.”
“You did what?” The air around Giulia suddenly stood still.
“I legalized our marriage the moment Serena told you about the idea.” He said casually like he ordered a snack online. “I needed a wife and the marriage proposal came at the right time.”
Guilia scoffed. “Are you really saying that I’m your w…? Are you trying to massage your ego?”
“Whatever name you give to it is none of my business,” he raved. “By the law, you are now Mrs. De Luca.”
Her stomach twisted. “ I can’t believe this!
Dante continued speaking as if she was in agreement. “This means henceforth, you’re required to act like my wife, in public and with family, we share a room together, you have access to my credit card…“
“Wait, Wait, what? Giulia interrupted with hands up in protest. I didn’t consent to any of this! Serena assured me it was all fake. A ploy to get revenge on Vincenzo!”
Dante tilted his head forward a little. “You’re mistaken, Giulia Rossini. You consented to getting married to me.”
“Serena deceived me.” She became alarmed. Different thoughts rushed through her mind. The marriage was fake and was supposed to remain like that. Now, the plan had backfired.
She rubbed her temples softly as if to prevent the headache from invading her head. “This is crazy. I can’t be your wife. I don’t even love you.”
Dante smirked almost playfully. “That can be developed.”
If stare could kill, Giulia’s glare would have shot daggers at Dante. “No way! There must be a way out. An annulment or a divorce. There must be something we can do.”
“That won’t be possible. Any marriage legalized in the De Luca family cannot be easily annulled.” Dante announced.
“Are you saying I’m stuck with you?” Giulia blinked.
He nodded in an affirmative. “Absolutely.”
Her chest tightened. “You must be joking. You can’t just force someone into a marriage! This is 2020.”
Dante drew closer to her, his voice low. “I didn’t force you, Giulia. You agreed immediately you signed that paper.”
“I thought it was fake.” She yelled at him.
“That doesn’t change what already is,” he said, looking intensely into her eyes. “Look, Giulia, I can’t guarantee your leaving this marriage. You are very useful to me.”
“Useful?” she repeated, obviously shocked. What do you mean?”
“You'll find out pretty soon.” He walked past her and threw on his shirt before moving to the door. “No matter what you say, you’ll remain my wife.”
Giulia felt her fingers clench in a fist. “You can’t boss me around, Dante?
He was gone.
Her phone buzzed. A message: I need to tell you something about Dante. Now!
- Writer
