Made of Steel

44. We are done

 Adriano Di Lauro

'I love you'

'I fall in love with you'

'I have broken the contract'

Words continue to echo in my head as I drown myself in5 liters and liters of alcohol.

"Are we drinking the whole bar?". I curse hearing his annoyed voice. "What are we celebrating?"

"My marriage's end", I reply as I raise my glass to toast.

"Don't tell me Cassandra has been unfaithful to you, because I won't believe you".

Apparently someone has already gone with jerk surgeon story. That's why he's here.

"She is incapable..."

"Since when do you know her so well?", I ask in a leisurely tone. Drinks begins to take effect. "Anyway, incident in the hospital doesn't matter to me anymore. Of course, I will break that asshole much more than his balls".

"That's the cold-headed man I know", my best friend alleges. "What is the problem, then?"

I empty the bottle and drink before answering: "My new wife has fallen in love with me".

"Tell me something new", he laughs despite meeting my icy gaze. "Even a blind man would notice that, but of course... you didn't want to see it. What are you going to do? Shall I prepare annulment documents?"

"Don't fuck with me, Pietro".

"So?", he continues to stick his finger in the sore spot. "Tell me, Adriano, are you finally going to accept your feelings?"

"Which feelings?", I grumble. I find it hard to believe he would ask such a question.

"Apparently not", he gives a long snort as he sits next to me on the couch in the office. "You love her..."

"It's not true!", I cut him short.

"You've fallen in love with her too, stop denying it!"

"Get out of here?!", I yell at him while tremor reappears.

'I do not love her'

'I do not love her'

'I can't love her'

"If you keep ignoring it, you're going to lose her".

"Didn't you hear me?!". I stand up as I smash the glass bottle against the wall.

I glare at him as he adjusts his suit to execute my command. He knows what's good for him and he knows me well enough to deduce my level of anger. Things will end badly if he doesn't leave.

"I'll just tell you one last truth", he announces from the doorway, "Cassandra is not Stella".

I kick the coffee table in half before opening another bottle and drinking until I fade away.

A sharp pain in my temples wakes me up. Sun's rays bother me when I open my eyes and I have to blink several times to focus my sight. Then, I meet the person I least want to see.

"Hello, darling", the blonde greets with an obnoxious smile. "I'm glad you woke up".

"Carina?"

I look at my appearance and realize I am half naked, lying on the sofa/bed in the office. She doesn't look very presentable either with her disheveled clothes and disheveled hair.

'Fuck!'

What the hell happened last night?

I rearrange my clothes under the blonde's watchful gaze before facing her, ignoring constant pounding on my temples.

"What did you do?", I question with an imposing voice next to my icy gaze. I will not accept any lie or indirection.

"Isn't that obvious enough to you?", she tests my patience.

"Looks like you've forgotten who you're dealing with, dear", I say as I shoot her with my eyes. "I am not one of the idiots whom you can manipulate or fool".

"We..."

"Nothing", I cut her short. "Don't you try to make me fall into your little trap. I have no idea how long you've been here or what you've done since then", my face hovers just a few inches from her's, "but if there's one thing I'm absolutely sure of, it's I haven't touched a single hair on you. Do you know why?", I ask while I watch her gulp. "Because not even with ten liters of alcohol on top, I would sleep with you".

"You're a bastard!", despite the comment, the tone she uses makes it seem like a compliment.

"Yes, I am", I accept without further ado. It is not a secret for her or for anyone. "Tricks don't work on me, so go find another dog to boss you around. I let you off the collar months ago".

She tries to slap me, but she doesn't even get halfway there. I pull her aside and straighten her shirt before leaving the office with jacket in hand. I need to go home, talk to my wife...

'And tell him what?', I interrupt my own thoughts.

Will I set her free for other predators to take what is mine? On the other hand... I can't love her, I can't...

As if I was walking on automatic, I head straight to her room to find her looking flawless. She looks like a goddess and she is my wife, mine, only mine.

However, the gesture breaks for me as soon as I see the photo on the mobile screen.

'Carina'

'You are finished'

"Don't even think about it", I demand firmly, "because nothing happened".

"It's not what it seems".

We are in the same situation as yesterday, but with positions reversed. The difference is that I didn't touch the manipulative blonde, instead she...

Rage turns my blood on again just remembering it.

"Nothing happened, Cassandra", I reaffirm. "Nothing. Do you hear me? Since I married you I haven't touched another woman".

"Don't you want to see my stupid face", she demands of me.

I imprison her in my arms without warning before taking her chin in my fingers to force her to look at me.

"Don't ever say something like that again. You're the smartest woman I know and I don't have to lie to you. I didn't touch her", I brush my lips with hers until my breath mixes with hers, "not even with my thought. There's only one woman in my head, cara", I breathe on her cheek "and that's you".

"I love you Adriano".

The moment is suddenly ruined and I step back like I have the plague. I hold back my fury in an attempt to maintain control.

Why did he have to fuck it up?

"How do you feel about me?". As if that weren't enough, she comes up with that question. She scans my expression and the first tear falls as she doesn't find the answer she's looking for. "I can't handle this", her voice is barely audible. She sounds hurt and it drives me crazy, but her next words bring me to the brink of hysteria. "We are done. I want the annulment."