Serena had just been taken by Cristian inside an office, and just as she was wondering how they could let them in so freely, she heard a familiar voice.
"What are you people doing here?"
And there Serena unexpectedly saw a person coming out of the office: Beatrice Marchetti. Serena had not expected to see her at all, and she had a feeling that this aunt was really everywhere.
"Oh, Serena, but how did you hurt yourself like that?" said Aunt Beatrice who was startled at the sight of Serena looking like that. Auntie now looked much more worried than the time she had seen Serena drugged. After all, now the wounds were all external: face, neck, arms, legs were all covered with small and large wounds, a truly frightening scene, as if Serena...had been a victim of rape.
"Cristian, didn't I already tell you to look after your wife? And you call that protecting her?"
Cristian was petrified speechless. Accused like this by his aunt, Cristian also felt that he had failed in his mission to protect his wife. In the past he had never given the matter any importance, however, now...Serena was covered with wounds from head to toe.
Cristian, dark in the face and in a cold voice, said, "Now doctor her."
"Of course I'll medicate her. You go away in the meantime." Beatrice then first helped Serena out of the wheelchair, then accompanied Cristian out of the room and, once the door was closed, returned to Serena to medicate her wounds.
"Take off your clothes first, let me see the situation a bit."
Serena, who had once before undressed in front of her aunt, did not hesitate this time and immediately unbuttoned her clothes, but as she took them off, she felt a sharp pain.
"Wait!" said the aunt who, moving in front of her, continued, "But who did this to you? Who moved you all this violence? Here the clothes are all stuck to the wounds, woe to you if you pull hard. I'll help you take them off."
Serena, not being able to see how her back was bruised, could only rely on Beatrice's help, but although she moved very carefully, Serena felt such pain that she frowned and bit her lip to keep from screaming.
"All right," said Beatrice after a few moments.
Finally undressed, Beatrice could see her back, but she could not help closing her eyes in fright. So he sat her down, intimidating her not to move, and went to fetch the necessities to medicate her.
Leaving the room, Beatrice saw Cristian and unceremoniously went to him and kicked his leg. Cristian felt a sharp pain, but merely furrowed his brow.
"This time I don't need to tell you anything, just go yourself and see how she's looking." And so saying, Beatrice walked away to fetch the medicines.
Cristian stood motionless thinking about Serena's condition: just now he had only been able to see the visible wounds, only God knows how she might have been tanned under her clothes.
Having taken the necessary medication, Beatrice saw that Cristian had remained motionless outside the room and therefore, even angrier, addressed him again, "You are such a stubborn man!" and then returned to Serena. Cristian, on the other hand, remained outside, also waiting for Luca Russo to be heard.
Beatrice began to dress Serena's wounds, and it took quite a while before she dressed them all. Serena meanwhile continued to worry about Geneva, and as soon as her aunt was finished, she quickly put her clothes back on and got off the crib.
"I have bothered you so many times, I thank you," she said.
"Between relatives you have to help each other, and then I didn't do anything much. However for your wounds...you must not get them wet, and you must medicate them every day."
"All right, I'll be careful," Serena replied, nodding her head.
"Ah, but besides the superficial wounds, do you hurt anywhere else?"
Serena thought about it for a moment, but she had no pain anywhere in particular....
"Oh yeah? And what are you doing then?" asked Beatrice in a doubtful tone, "I already told you last time: as a man you have to protect your wife. And you, on the other hand, what are you doing?"
"I don't know what she's been doing," replied Cristian thoughtfully, "Besides, she's been strange lately."
"Strange? Tell me, strange in what way?"
Cristian looked Beatrice in the face: since his mother's death, he had only her left as a relative. And he did not know who could help him bring clarity to his doubts.
Perhaps just talking to his aunt would help him.
So, with a serious look, he told his aunt about Serena's strange attitude in the last period. "So what? I mean, she's acting normal and you're not happy?" asked Auntie half-closing her eyes.
"She is strange," said Cristian disconsolately.
"No doubt she is strange," said Beatrice changing her tone of voice, almost as if to taunt him, "But have you ever thought about why she is acting so strangely? As your aunt, I have to tell you something: women are sentimental, touchy. If she has changed her attitude, surely it is because she has made a decision: either you did something that made her completely lose hope, or you said something that led her to this change. Otherwise, a person alone...could never change so easily. Think about it, what could you have done?"
What could he have done to her?
Cristian moistened his lips: even he could not focus on what he could possibly have done to her.
"To tell the truth, since you married her, you should be happy together. Unless...you really want to divorce her...."
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Virginity in second marriages by Angela
Very boring...she is actually just dragging and dragging..no one is so stupid as the female in this story...