You're dead to me

Chapter seven: The Devil

"Not in a million years!" I state with my back at the wall and crossed arms over my chest.

"What do you mean?". He asks and frowns. "Are you fucking serious right now?". I gaze at him.

"Don't talk to me like that, or otherwise I have to stuff your mouth with-".

"Don't you dare to speak me around and force your dick in my mouth!". I yell at him. We are standing in the hallway in front of our bedroom, our bedroom.

"I will not share a bed with you, either way your my husband or not!". He runs his hand over his face and groans annoyed.

"Do you really need to make this harder. Isn't it enough that we are already are husband and wife?".

"Tze, did you really think I would be as easy as all your hoes?".

"Just don't fucking start it".

"Or what?". I challenge him and move around.

"Or what Giovanni, tell me what will you do then?". I let my finger travel along his shoulders, he wears a black suit again, but this time with a white shirt underneath.

"You really tried to look like a husband to me". I whisper into his ear and see goosebumps travel up his neck.

I grin. His breathing goes slower and heavier.

"Move your finger, Caroline". His shoulders shiver uncontrolled.

"No".

"I said move!". Suddenly he grabs me by my throat and smashes me into the nearby wall. I grip on his hand and try to remove it from my throat. He's sweating and shaking. He looks absolutely horrified with his pale face and eyes that stare into nothing.

"Gio- stop...I-I can't breathe". I try to grit out, stars are forming on the edge of my vision.

He lets go and I drop to the floor, coughing. I hold my throat and spit some blood out. I still feel his hand wrapped around it. Slowly I raise my head, but he already vanished and I hear a door slam.

„This isn't done yet". I mumble underneath my breath and lift myself up.

With a headache I go around the house. Everything is set up already, it's probably a house from his family.

The kitchen is open up to the dinner table and we have an amazing view from it. I stop at one of the drawers and search for some headache pills.

I swallow them with a glass of orange juice and place it into the dishwasher.

The mansion has five bathrooms and five bedrooms, a gym, a big porch, a theater, two massive offices, an arsenal and two dress rooms.

It takes me some time to finally find one of the bedrooms at the second floor. Obviously, it isn't that big as the master bedroom, but I'm not going to sleep with him in there either.

I let myself drop onto the soft mattress. I already informed some of our workers to deliver my suitcases. Apparently father needs all of the staff, so I have to wait two days.

I will probably end up doing it myself, because none of them actually really like me. As if I give a fuck anyway. The sun is about to set, as I heard him coming out of his room. I don't make a sound, he doesn't need to know where I am.

A De' Bardi doesn't apologize, they think they're never wrong, so I believe the oldest wouldn't even try to bow his head for a Matisse daughter.

I grunt. I'm not a Matisse anymore.

I look up my phone and see several missed calls from Theresia. Since it's already midnight, I don't call her back.

I want to drive up there tomorrow anyway to get myself some underwear.

I step out of my suit and wander to my dress room. It's completely empty.

I wouldn't say that I expected anything from Giovanni, but God forbid, if I can't dream about some new dresses.

As I hang up the suit, I hear the door creak open.

I whirl around, my hand already on my knife, which is attached to my thigh for any small interaction with some formal idiot called my husband.

He doesn't say anything, he just leans onto the doorframe with a whiskey in his hand.

"Do you want something?". Just then I notice that I'm completely in my Victoria secret set. I'm not uncomfortable in my body, but to have him stare on me like that, his eyes already red from the drink, makes me shift uncomfortably from one leg to another.

He clears his throat and takes a sip.

"Giovanni?!".

"I'm sorry". He says quickly, as if the words could burn his tongue.

"Huh?". I thought I had misunderstood him. He takes a few steps forward, still keeping a healthy distance.

"I am very sorry for what I have done to you, it wasn't my intention. Just sometimes when people touch me without permission, I...I get nervous and- uhm. I just lose completely my mind, ok?".

I have never, and when I mean never in my life, heard a De' Bardi say 'I'm sorry'.

Frustrated he rubs his face and drops his head.

"I'm not an abuser".

"You know if you were, I would have already stabbed you to death". I say uninterested and walk off.

I'm not his mother or loving wife that he can throw up his feelings to. I don't care about him and his problems. I'm just here for business.

And business has nothing to do with emotions.

"Don't forget Giovanni, if you open up to a devil, he will make sure that you bleed with your nightmares".