Bernadette, Wife For A Year

Chapter-6

Chapter- 6

Julian's POV :

Just by glancing at her, the hazel eyed girl in my parents' dining room took my breath away. My parents must have been talking about her the other day. She looked quite young. What about her legal status? There is no way I can marry an underage girl.

She had porcelain skin with hues of scarlet adoring her cheeks. Black hair hung loosely over her shoulder. A calm face masked her anguish in hazel eyes.

"Why? Was she not on her own accord here?''

"Hey," I said, wanting to hear her voice.

"Hi," came a soothing voice, just as I expected. Instantly, she looked down. She was introverted.

The dinner was a silent affair. During that time, I noticed my would-be spouse ate almost nothing. Perhaps we'll have to work on it.

"We'll leave you two alone. Come to the office in an hour," dad said as he and mum rose from their seats.

I sank on the seat next to her, once my parents left.

"What is your name?" I asked to initiate a conversation.

"Bernadette Arpina Peterson,"

"How old are you?"

"Twenty-two,"

"Do you know anything about me?" I asked.

"Yes, a little,"

"Like...?" I urged her to continue.

She took a deep breath and sipped water from the glass kept in front of her.

"Like your name is Julian Robustelli. You are twenty-eight. And also about Nicolina," she said softly. I noticed her hands were shaking. Without thinking, I took her hands in mine. Her hands were freezing. She attempted to pull her hand off my hold but my grip was firm.

"Hey, relax. Do I make you uncomfortable?" I asked. This girl intrigued me for some reason. I wanted to know more about her. She didn't answer. I pulled her up from her seat. And lead her to the porch.

While coming here, I had the perfect vengeance plan mapped out in my mind. I knew what I wanted to do. I wanted to use this girl to teach that "bitch" Nicolina a lesson. Lesson for infidelity on me. Lesson for making a fool out of me. Lesson for misusing my trust. I was all set on my way to return the nasty game Nicolina and Dylan Parker had started with me.

I wanted to use this girl my parents had apparently found to climb up the stairs of revenge. To show that bitch I was capable of moving on. To show that grotesque Dylan Parker and Nicolina Miller that their frugal attempts to bring me down were futile. They would never be.

But that was until I saw my would-be one-year wife. Perhaps not one year anymore. Maybe forever. I may not have been able to catch the true colors of Nicolina. But, I knew this girl by my side was exactly what she looked like. Her eyes reflected purity, compassion, and...pain. I needed to know more about this girl. I wanted to know the reason why her eyes held so much pain.

Did someone hurt her?

Was she also betrayed like I was?

Did her boyfriend cheat on her?

Well for that, I must thank that asshole because if that's the case. I was grateful to him for letting me make this girl mine.

I shuddered back to reality when I felt Bernadette trying to fidget out of my hold.

"Hey, calm down, angel," I said as I showed her to the porch swing.

"Now, take deep breaths as I count, okay?" I said to which she nodded. I was still holding her hand in mine. Her hand felt so good, so supple and delicate. Our hands fit together perfectly like two puzzle pieces.

Once her breathing evened, we sat silently gazing at the evening sky.

"Since, you know a little about me. Tell me something about yourself too," I let out.

"What do you want to know?" she asked.

"Tell me about your family. What do you want to do next, since you have graduated now?" I noticed she stiffened at the mention of family.

Taking a deep breath she said, "I don't have a family. I am an orphan,"

She paused and glanced at me. Her voice held pain and hurt.

"I am taking a year off to prepare for MCAT. Hopefully, I will be able to crack it in my first attempt,"

"So you want to become a Doctor?" I asked.

"Yes," she replied softly. Her eyes held a confident sparkle when she said that; I realized she was someone ambitious. Another thing I liked about her.

"Any ex-boyfriends I should know about? Just in case you know," I asked playfully. She instantly shook her head and smiled.

Fuck, her smile was contagious.

"No, never had any,"

I was amused would be an understatement of the year. She was extremely pretty to not have men swooning over her. Nonetheless, it made me feel a trace of unknown happiness.

I knew exactly what I wanted at that moment. But, I wanted to ask Bernadette before reaching any conclusion.

"On a serious note, are you okay with this arrangement?" I asked, kneeling in front of her. I was holding her hand in both of my hands.

"Yes," she said, looking straight into my eyes. Her eyes were fascinating. I don't think I would ever get tired of looking at her eyes. My heart fluttered with reassurance.

"What do you expect from this relationship?" I asked after a moment of silence.

"A year of respect and loyalty," she said hopefully. I couldn't help but smile at her innocent demand. I always wanted someone like her in my life.

"If I learned anything from my relationship with Nicolina, it was the meaning of loyalty. I know the feeling of getting betrayed, swindled. I would never cheat on you," I said, earnestly.

She looked magnificent under the moonlight.

Her eyes were lustrous.

"Likewise, I promise to be faithful to you," she said smiling.

That was it. At this point, I couldn't resist embracing her. I pulled her into a close embrace. She didn't hug me back. It's ok, I was willing to give her as much time as she needed.

Once again, I was falling for someone too fast. Just like I did for Nicolina. But with Bernadette, I was ready to take a leap of faith. I was ready to start anew.