The Price Of His Desire

The Past

After Grandma and Paulo arrived, the house felt a little livelier. His daughter Ada ran straight to me and hugged my legs the moment she saw me. I had been spending most of the day with her since she refused to leave my side. She was only two, yet she spoke so clearly, even a little English.

Paulo sat across the room, quietly watching us play. His presence felt different, softer. There was warmth in him, something Alfonso rarely showed.

Grandma told me Paulo had been released from the hospital just yesterday after a bad case of food poisoning. He still looked pale but smiled often, especially when Ada laughed.

By nightfall, both Alfonso and his mother were still not back. He had not called or even texted to check on me. Not that I was surprised. At least Sarah came home in time for dinner, and her presence eased the silence that hung around the table.

“Diana, finding out about your marriage to my grandson without anyone in the family knowing… well, it isn’t really that surprising,” Grandma said mid-bite, making me pause with my fork halfway to my mouth.

I looked between her, then at Paulo and Sarah, who were both watching me closely.

“He’s always been unpredictable,” she continued with a soft laugh. “With Alfonso, we’ve learned to expect the unexpected. He’s always been stubborn.”

Paulo chuckled under his breath, nodding in agreement.

“So tell me,” Grandma went on, setting her fork down gently. “How did you two meet? How long have you been together?”

I looked at Sarah who gave me a small signal, and I went on to say exactly what she had told me to if anyone asked. I told them I met Alfonso at his restaurant where I worked back in the state. We started off on a rough patch, but then something strange happened, love, and here we are.

Paulo cleared his throat and asked, “Why were you okay with him keeping your marriage a secret?” He looked very interested.

I drank some water before answering. “I wanted to, but he insisted we kept it private. A court marriage, just us and the people we trusted. For me, my sister, and him, Sarah,” I said, gesturing to Sarah who looked pleased with my answer.

Paulo and Sarah spoke a little in Italian. Then we sat quietly, finishing dinner.

Afterward, I pulled Sarah into my room for a conversation.

“Why didn’t you tell me he has a brother?” I asked, eager to know more about their relationship.

She hesitated for a moment. “Maybe because they don’t really have the best relationship. I also thought you were going to find out eventually, so why bother?”

Her words only fed my curiosity. “What do you mean when you say they don’t have the best relationship?”

She looked at me for a while, clearly reluctant to open up.

“Please, Sarah, you’re literally the only person I can rely on right now,” I pleaded, holding her hand.

She sighed. “I’ll tell you, but only because I really like you a lot, and you deserve to know this so you can understand how things work here.”

Then she told me, not everything, but enough to understand what was really going on.

“Paulo and Alfonso are half brothers. They share the same father. Paulo is the eldest, but the illegitimate son. Their father cheated on Alfonso’s mother. Then Alfonso came later,” she said, adjusting herself on the bed.

“You’re in for quite a drama. Paulo’s mom is dead. Both brothers were raised by their grandmother. Mrs Del Lisi left the marriage. They were very close growing up until Ada’s mother, Georgina, came into the picture, their childhood best friend. Then came a love triangle in high school. She was Alfonso’s first and only love throughout high school until college. When Alfonso left to live with his mother in England, he came back years later to find Paulo and Georgina married. That was when the fallout started, and it has only gotten worse since then with inheritance issues. That’s basically it,” Sarah explained in one long breath.

I sat there quietly, trying to take it all in. For the first time, I understood the tension that hung in the air whenever Alfonso’s family was mentioned. So much pain and betrayal, yet everyone wore polite smiles like nothing had ever happened.

This could be part of the reason why Alfonso feels so unattached to anyone. Maybe the reason for his cold attitude. Being betrayed by your brother and your lover could change anyone.

Something in me needed to know where Georgina was since I hadn’t seen her with Paulo earlier.

“And where is Georgina?” I asked. Their faces fell immediately.

“She’s dead,” Sarah said quietly. “She was killed in a plane crash about two years ago.”

Her words hit me like a wave. Another shocking revelation. Sarah definitely hadn’t lied when she said I was in for drama. I couldn’t stop wondering how both Paulo and Alfonso must have felt. And that poor baby, growing up without ever knowing her mother.

Sarah and I talked a little more before it was time for her to leave. It was late at night when she got into her car. I stood by the window, waving goodbye until I saw her disappear behind the main gates.

Still no sign of Alfonso.

Now alone, I had a lot to think about. Everything Sarah told me kept replaying in my mind. Maybe Alfonso’s mother’s reaction toward me came from past experiences with Paulo’s mother. Sarah had mentioned that they were best friends once. Maybe that’s why she was so protective of her son and her family.

I walked into the kitchen to grab some water. The house was quiet; the helpers had gone home, leaving me wandering through the stillness.

I didn’t even realize how long I had been staring into the fridge until I heard a voice behind me. I flinched hard, turning so fast that the water spilled all over both of us.

“I’m so sorry,” I said quickly as I shut the fridge. “Here, let me get a napkin.”

“It’s fine,” Paulo replied, his tone calm. He took the napkin from me and began to wipe himself off.

“You’ve been standing in front of the fridge for a while,” he said, a faint smile touching his lips. “I thought I’d check up on you. I didn’t mean to scare you.” He reached up to grab something from the cabinet.

Before I could respond, my foot slipped on the water I had spilled earlier. I fell hard, twisting my ankle as pain shot up my leg.

I let out a small cry before I could stop myself.

Paulo rushed over immediately, helping me up from the floor when he realized I couldn’t walk properly. He guided me to the couch in the living room and sat me down carefully.

“Stay here. I’ll get some ice and the first aid kit,” he said before hurrying off.

He came back shortly and knelt beside me, wrapping my ankle with gentle hands. His touch was firm yet careful as he massaged the area, trying to ease the pain.

I bit my lip, trying not to make a sound, but a soft moan escaped me when the pain spiked.

That was when I heard the door open.

Paulo froze. I turned my head and my heart dropped.

Standing at the doorway were Alfonso and his mother, both staring at us with shock and something darker in their eyes.

In that moment, I knew something was about to happen.