His Unwanted Wife is the Mafia Princess novel Chapter 3

Stella

“What is wrong with you today?” Adrian’s brows knit together. “Nobody is treating you like a slave. Go throw your temper tantrum somewhere else.”

My husband turns away from me. He brushes loose strands of blonde hair out of Clara’s face, his expression softening as soon as his eyes land on hers. I sharply inhale and turn my face away, unable to watch it for much longer.

“Don’t pay attention to her,” my mother begins, “she’s sick. Her behavior clearly reflect that—”

“It is not because I’m sick!” I yell at the four of them. I reach out for the metal pole that holds my I.V. bag, holding onto it to keep me steady. “This is something that I have been wanting to say for a long time!”

My glare bounces between my mother and father. My hands tremble from fury, knuckles white from my grip on the pole. They scoff and avoid eye contact with me, going back to Clara.

They coo over her. They take water bottles and snacks out of their bags, offering it to her in soft and gentle voices. The sight of it makes me nauseous.

For the past five years, my parents have spent every single dollar in their bank account on Clara. Medical bills, new clothes, physical therapy while she sleeps in her coma…every nickel and dime has been spent on her.

I even helped pay for Clara’s medical treatments and surgeries whenever they asked since the burden was too much for them to handle. During my own recoveries, I stayed in her room and kept her company when they couldn’t be there.

When they did show up? They pushed me out of the room and locked the door behind them.

They never cared about me. I have not seen a single dollar from them, not what I want their money, and neither of them have even taken the time out of their day to check in on me and see how I’m doing. They don’t even bother to ask me how my marriage to Adrian is.

My marriage to Adrian…

Are they really trying to force Clara into my bond with him?

“I accepted your favoritism of Clara…I accepted it long, long ago,” my voice gets their attention back onto me. “But you, Adrian? I believed that you could make up your mind on your own and not stand on their side instead of mine.”

My parents cackle, throwing their heads back. Their laughs bounce off the walls of the rooms, chilling my body to the core. My father covers his mouth, having to turn away, and my mother faces me.

“Oh…oh, Stella, you fool,” she quietly snickers, “even if we weren’t involved, Adrian would still choose Clara!”

I take a step back, a string of invisible barbed wire tightening around my throat, slowly closing off my air supply. My bottom lip trembles. My mind runs a mile a minute and I am barely able to comprehend what they’re saying.

“Do you know how much Adrian has done for Clara these past five years?” My father continues for my mother, a hint of giggles laced in his voice.

My heart plummets into my stomach. What is that supposed to mean?

“Nurse,” the snap of Adrian’s fingers is sharp and loud, “take her away. Clara needs to rest.”

My vision blurs. A nurse comes from behind me, her fingers wrapping around my arm. I try my best to pull away but she is much stronger than me.

She pulls me out into the hallway. My feet slip against the floor, my hands clawing at the air. Cries escape my lips, hot tears rolling down my cheeks.

The nurse pulls me into my hospital room, sitting me down on the bed. Her hands hold down my shoulders as I fight against her, my cries now growing quiet and tired.

“Look,” the nurse sighs, quickly looking around before leaning in, “for the past five years, Adrian visited Clara every day. The surgeries you underwent? They weren’t for Adrian’s company but for Clara.”

My body goes cold, eyes shooting open. Goosebumps litter my body. My breath gets caught in my throat, forming a lump.