𝐁𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐨 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐟𝐢𝐚

Chapter 32

Written 5/1/21

I woke up to the feeling of someone next to me in bed. I rolled over onto my side to see Cristiano fast asleep. I didn't even hear him come in, so he must have gone to bed pretty late. I looked at the time, it was still pretty early in the morning. I decided not to wake Cristiano up, and just let him sleep.

I carefully slip out of bed and into the bathroom. I get undressed and make my way into the shower. I tried to keep my mind on getting myself clean, but I couldn't stop thinking about Livianna. I knew I felt guilty about leaving her with Diavolo, but why now was I suddenly having nightmares? Was it a sign? Was she in trouble?

I couldn't shake off the immense guilt I felt. I knew I had to help her, or at least make sure she was ok. I get out of the shower, wrap a towel around myself, and leave the bathroom.

When I open the door I'm surprised to find Cristiano awake, and talking to someone on the phone. He sounds frustrated, I decide to just go into the closet before he can notice me. I make sure to shut the door behind me, and quickly start looking for something to wear. It was snowing outside, and dead freezing, but the house was warm. I decide to go with a short sleeved dress with pink and green little flowers decorating it.

Just as I'm about finished dressing, I hear shouting. It's Cristiano, and he's obviously yelling at whoever he's talking to over the phone. A part of me wants to get out of the closet and calm him down. But of course, the side of me that's absolutely terrified of him forces me to stay locked in the safety of the closet.

The shouting continues for a while, I try to listen to what he's saying through the door, but I can't really make out anything. Finally the screaming eventually stops, but I still wait a few minutes before leaving the closet. I open the door and walk out of the closet, Cristiano is sitting on the edge of the bed, rubbing his temples. He looked angry and stressed, more than usual at least. I could just walk by him and hope he ignores me, but I felt bad for him. Besides, wasn't it my duty as his wife to always be there for him?

I slowly made my way over to him, and hesitantly put my hand on his shoulder. He looks up at me, a little surprised. His eyes were tired, I could tell he needed more sleep. I didn't really know what to do.

"Is everything alright?" I ask softly, not wanting to make him more angry than he already was. He reaches up and places his hand on mine.

"It's nothing, just something I didn't want to deal with right now." Cristiano answers with a frustrated sigh.

I sit down on the bed behind him, and rest my chin on his shoulder. His back relaxes against my chest.

"Is it anything you can talk about?" I ask.

I couldn't figure out why I was all of the sudden being so intimate with him. Maybe it was a subtle thank you checking on me last night. Or maybe I just liked being close to him. I could keep asking myself why forever, but I didn't feel like dwelling on it. I was getting sick of questioning myself.

"Livianna tried to escape." He says.

My heart almost stops. I can barely even process what he just said.

"W-what?" Is all I manage to get out. Cristiano turns around to look at me.

"She was caught trying to run out of the hotel I placed her and Diavolo at in Chicago." He says.

I don't know how to respond. Was that why I had that nightmare? Did I subconsciously know that something bad had happened to her?

"Is she alive?" I blurt out. Cristiano scoffs and stands up, turning his body to fully face me.