UNHOLY DESIRE

DEIRDRE

The next morning, I was awakened from my slumber by Kendall. She kept jumping on my bed, tugging at my robe.

She wasn’t the only one, although she was the major reason. I heard voices outside my door, making me wonder if there was a special visitor in the penthouse.

“Mama!” Kendall exclaimed, her hands tangled in my hair, and she pulled, making me wince.

“That hurts, Kenny,” I groaned, gently removing her hand. I sat up straight as a knock followed by Matteo’s voice sounded.

“Daddy has a woman over,” Kendall whispered, making me frown.

“What do you mean he has a woman over?” I asked.

“There’s a woman waiting for him outside,” she said, her nose wrinkling.

Kendall surprised me most of the time. For a child her age, she was much more eloquent than I would have imagined. Most of the words she used surprised me even more. I believe she learned them from her friends in the playgroup she attended, perhaps from one of her teachers.

“Darling,” Matteo’s voice called from outside my door, followed by a light tap.

“I’m coming,” I groaned, climbing down, and walking to the vanity to run my fingers through my messy hair. I cupped my hands, breathed into them, and took a sniff. “Not bad,” I said before heading to the door.

“Hey,” I said, frowning when I realized he was not alone.

And as Kendall had said, there was a woman with him. She was a tall brunette with stunning grey eyes and a straight nose. Her fair skin had to be the most flawless I had ever seen, and she smiled at me, her teeth a pearly white.

I didn’t return her smile, only continuing to stare at Matteo, silently urging him for an explanation.

Although she was a brunette, she was the kind of woman Matteo would most likely go out with.

“What’s going on?” I asked as he remained silent.

“She’s Lucia Rossi,” he said.

I cared not about her name, but my gaze stayed fixed on him, willing him to explain.

“Mama!” Kendall exclaimed, running towards me and wrapping her arms around my legs.

I bent down, scooping her into my arms and holding her as though they might try to take her from me. I sensed Lucia raising her hands in a gesture of reassurance.

“I mean no harm towards you and your daughter, Deirdre,” she beamed at me.

She knew my name. She knew it well. I shot an accusing glance at Matteo, who merely shrugged.

“I spoke to Lucia about you. She was insistent,” he scowled. It was clear he would have preferred discussing anything else with her.

“You were being evasive,” she scolded. “Allow me to formally introduce myself. I am Lucia Rossi, and your husband is my boss. He never mentioned having such a beautiful wife like you, and I can’t help but wonder how you’re managing him.”

Lucia sighed as if empathizing with my situation. Her voice was smooth and warm. I was mistaken to have thought she was one of his casual affairs. Still, it wasn’t entirely my fault.

Lucia was the first of his business partners I’d come to know. He never introduced any of them to me before. I wondered what had changed now.

I clasped Lucia’s extended hand, giving it a shake. “I’m Deirdre O’Sullivan. It’s very nice to meet you.”

I noticed Lucia’s gaze drift to Matteo, whose icy glare I could feel on me. I paid it no mind. As far as I was concerned, our marriage wasn’t genuine. Even though I played the role of his wife, I would never adopt his surname.

“And this must be Kendall,” Lucia smiled at my daughter, who held on to me even tighter.

“I want to stay with you, Mama. I don’t want to go,” she pleaded.

“I’m not leaving you,” I murmured, soothingly running my hand along her back. “But you can go with Lucia. She seems kind, and your father and I need to talk.”

Kendall didn’t relent, and I sighed, shooting Matteo a pointed look that silently said, ‘I told you so.’

“Fiora,” Matteo said as he approached me.

“What does that mean?” Kendall asked, her gaze shifting between me and Matteo.Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

“It means ‘flower,’ darling,” I explained.

Kendall’s eyes lit up as she looked at Matteo. “Why don’t you go with Aunt Lucia, and we can get the things we talked about?”

“Deal?” Kendall proposed without hesitation.

“Deal,” Matteo confirmed, lightly touching his thumb and index finger to hers in a pinky promise.

“Mama, down.” Kendall squirmed out of my arms and darted toward Lucia, not sparing me a glance.

“What did you promise her, and why call Lucia an aunt? She isn’t even related to you,” I questioned.

“Lucia is family to me,” Matteo grumbled.

“Whatever,” I dismissed him with a wave.

“Kendall is too attached to you,” he remarked.

“What are you trying to imply? And don’t tell me you came all the way here just to have Lucia take her away from me,” I retorted.

“No,” Matteo shook his head. “Kendall needs to get familiar with Lucia because she’ll be staying with her. Also, I’m here to remind you about the trip. You have two hours to pack whatever you think you’ll need.”

“Two hours?” I exclaimed in disbelief. “How am I supposed to get ready in two hours when I just woke up and haven’t even started packing?”

“I told you last night,” Matteo reminded me. “You should have taken care of what was necessary.”

“You told me close to midnight, and how could I pack when I’m exhausted?” I countered.

“Deirdre, Deirdre, Deirdre,” Matteo said with a sigh. “You can simply hop into the shower, freshen up, and let Mrs. Smith pack for you whenever you’re ready.”

“No,” I firmly stated, shaking my head before approaching the wardrobe. I wouldn’t let Mrs. Smith handle my things. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust her; I didn’t trust Matteo not to influence her into choosing items I didn’t want.

“I’ll do it myself,” I declared, opening the closet.

“Good. I don’t have the patience, Deirdre. Remember, you mustn’t take more than two hours,” Matteo advised before striding out of the room.

I sensed a warning in his voice and wondered if there was more to this trip than he was letting on. It wasn’t as though we would be departing as soon as we arrived at the port.