Chapter 16
Mackenna was in her office working furiously and trying to get over the anger she had felt this morning. It wasn‘t right. She had fallen asleep in Alessandro‘s arms on the sofa, and she had felt safe, content, and happy. She‘d had dreams of making love with him and of sleeping with him, in his warm embrace exhausted from lovemaking.
— Her heart was acting as if it was the most natural thing in the world to be back in his arms, but her head was telling her she was a bigger i***t today than she‘d been five years ago. Her anger was self-directed, because when she‘d woken alone in her tiny twin bed, tucked into it, she‘d instantly reached for him, and he wasn‘t there. Finding herself along, she‘d begun sobbing like a fool. She was crying at the drop of a hat over Alessandro Giordano. It was silly and asinine, and she was ashamed of herself. Her emotions were out of control.
Her stomach was in knots, she felt queasy and never had she been so exhausted. This last month was proving to be the most difficult of her life and she felt like there was no end in sight, no light at the end of her tunnel. She knew the time between now and until her divorce finalized would be a battle with Alessandro. Worse, she feared the time after her divorce was likely going to be the most excruciating of her life. How had she thought she would be able to just move on after him when it was clear she had never gotten over him? Distance would help, she knew it but moving to Antarctica was not an option; no matter how much the solitude beckoned her.
.
She pushed her paperwork across her desk and reached for her coffee cup to find it empty and she scowled. She needed a caffeine fix. She stood up and moved to the door of her office and as she tore it open, she came face-to-face with the man of last night‘s lustful fantasies, poised to knock on the door. She shoved past him. ―I‘m working
―I know He felt his defenses rise instantly at her cold expression. ―I came to ask if you‘re feeling any better after a night of rest. I thought we could do dinner tonight He followed her as she marched down the hall away from her office, clutching a metal thermal cup in her hand.
There is no reason for us to see each other again She stopped and faced him.― You might want to check in with your lawyer by the way because mine is petitioning the court today to try to push the court date ahead to the end of this month instead of next
He was stunned by her words and her change in disposition. She had switched from the clinging vine she‘d been last night when he‘d carried her and tucked her into her tiny single bed to a catty, cold woman before him. His feet stopped moving as he stared at her back as she swung on her heel and continued walking away from him.
―Mackenna He whispered her name as his throat clogged off and he cleared it and spoke her name again, louder, and firmly. ―Mackenna. We are going to talk about this
―There‘s nothing to talk about Alessandro. I thought about it, and I‘ve figured out what you‘re doing. You think you can feed me pizza and watch fuzzy dog movies
and I‘ll forget all the terrible things you put me through. Well, you‘re wrong She faced him then and poked him in the chest.
―I still remember. I still remember wherever we went, your mistress came too. I remember you left me home alone all the time and you took her with you. I remember when you laughed at me and said you would sleep with her every day, and I would still take you in my bed every night She saw her words affect him as if she‘d struck him a physical blow. She continued her verbal assault,
―well you were wrong Alessandro. I wouldn‘t do it then and I won‘t now. If it weren„t for the fact Dulce is in a bed upstairs in the orthopedic wing, you and I wouldn‘t be having this discussion. This, again, reminds me you would follow her to the ends of the Earth if she demanded it! Tell me Alessandro, has there ever been a phone call from her you didn‘t answer?. When he opened his mouth, she cut him off,
―don‘t bother. I already know the answer. You‘re as obsessed with her as you are with me. The only difference, she likes it. I just want my freedom, so back off and leave me alone She started to walk away but he grabbed her arm and spun her back and he glared
―Mackenna, I have done my best to try to be patient with you, but it seems instead of maturing you regress to a child. It‘s like trying to reason with a rabid dog. You have preconceived notions of injustice in your head, and you cannot accept maybe you were the one who made mistakes. You refuse to acknowledge any of the responsibility for this situation. You never wanted to talk in the past.
You never asked me if I was sleeping with Dulce. You accused me. You always accused and you already had your mind made up as to the answer, so why would I bother to deny something you had already decided as fact? You would trust the word of another woman over your husband! You took her word and believed it for the God‘s-honest truth. You didn‘t ask me Mackenna. You told me to choose between my wife and my lover and there was no choice to make because to me, they were one and the same. You were the one who walked out on me. You left me!‖
She saw his eyes were cold and furious and she wanted to say something, but he wasn‘t done.
―Do you think I enjoy this? There have been plenty of mornings where I‘ve woken alone in our bed and decided it was the day I was going to file for the divorce He saw her shocked expression and his lips tightened.
―You actually believe having an immature shrew for a wife who accused, whined and complained about everything! did before she decided to run away from home like a spoiled brat was a treat? I told myself you were young and losing your parents so young was why you were so damn insecure but I loved you and so I tried to be patient. If there is anything my family has taught me is marriage is something you work on and damn it, I don‘t mind working hard at anything He threw his hand in the air exasperated with her,
―and there were days I would gladly have thrown in the towel, but I kept at it. Do you know what? Let‘s just get on with it because I‘m tired of it Mackenna. I‘m tired of this constant game of cat and mouse you like to play. You want a divorce? Fine. The minute l‘m back in Milan, I‘ll sign the papers. You can marry your bloody orthopedic surgeon and have your little blue-eyed, blonde haired babies.I‘m done He threw his hands in the air and pushed past her, striding straight down the hall and out into the bright sunshine. her heart thundering with such ferocity she couldn‘t breathe. She clutched her chest tightly as pain seared her just as one of the doctors who had treated her two years past when she‘d contracted bacterial meningitis took her by the hands.
―Mac, are you okay
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: The Billionaire’s Prodigal Wife (Mackenna and Alessandro)