Chapter 71: Dutiful Husband
The tension in the room only worsened when Luca didn’t speak, his heated gaze fixed on Maria who found it hard to meet it, unlike their dynamic when others were around.
Her being the more hardened character felt almost like it was a play they acted out only when others were around, a shallow performance that crumbled the moment they were alone.
"I-I..." she stuttered, her voice small and unsteady, but Luca did not let her finish before he leaned forward in the chair he sat on and intertwined his fingers over his knees as he slowly began to speak. His voice was cold and harsh.
"I don’t care how much pain you are in! I expect you to keep your mouth shut before I cut your tongue out of your mouth!" he told her, his voice lower and much gruffer than usual.
Eyes intense, showing a cruelty that was never seen from him before.
"Dora has no idea about her mother and that would remain so. Moreover, she also has no idea what my ties to Tiberio is! Her getting married to the Bellinis will ensure that she never finds out about her real family!" he slowly spoke, his voice so low that even if someone was standing by the door outside it would still be impossible for them to make out what was being said in the room.
"With her married to Mr. Dante, it would only be a matter of time before I would be able to get enough money to leave the country and head somewhere else. You need this too!" Luca pointed out, his gaze hardened as he spoke, even as Maria meekly nodded her head more than aware that what Luca said was indeed true.
"I know but it wasn’t like I meant to kill her mother and—" but she was still speaking when Luca interrupted, not allowing her to finish what she clearly intended to finish.
"Shut up! I have no clue what you’re talking about!" he snapped, making it clear that the topic was something both of them had decided to never speak of again.
Slowly, Luca got to his feet, sliding his hands through his greyish hair in an exasperated manner.
His eyes were not soft even as he stared at Maria’s legs without any shred of pity, going as far as to stand beside the bed and lower his hand to where her leg was supposed to be while staring right into her eyes.
"I have endured all these years to ensure that I reap the fruits of my labor. If I am unable to sell Dora or make any gains from her, then your daughter will be next!" he directly told her, even as Maria’s fingers trembled worse than they already did as she vigorously nodded her head as she heard Luca speak, unable to counter him.
"You know the kind of man I am and you know better than to go against me. Act according to the script, Maria, and don’t play games with me! We are in this together!" he told her, his hand clamping hard on her bandaged stump in a way that made her whimper as a cry tore from her throat and tears flooded her eyes, but she knew better than to let them fall.
Balling her hands into fists as she settled her expression into that of complete calm, even though it wasn’t exactly how she felt.
’If I can find someone else... better, I’d leave you in a heartbeat!’ she thought to herself, knowing better than to actually voice her thoughts into actions.
Eyes fluttering closed as she lay on the bed waiting impatiently for when he would leave and she would have some time to herself.
Beyond relieved to see him get up, dusting off the suit he wore, only to see him head straight for the bathroom instead of the main door, even as her eyes fluttered closed and she pretended to be asleep.
Seconds became minutes as she heard him pee, expecting him to step out and leave, even as she tried not to show just how hardened and averse she was to him.
Only to be taken aback to see him step out a full five minutes longer than she expected and see him holding a pregnancy test in his hand with a huge smile on his face as he looked at her.
For a second, looking like the man she thought she had actually gotten married to.
"Guess who’s pregnant?" he asked her with a grin on his face, pointing at the pregnancy test in his hand almost like he himself couldn’t believe it.
"I don’t know how she seduced him, but once she has his child, her place in the Bellini family would be even more stable and fixed!" he beamed, excitement bubbling in his tone.
"Even if he divorces her, he can’t leave her penniless. Not with her having given birth to his heir. We won’t have to worry about the Vivaldi family," Luca emphasized with a grave expression on his face.
One that Maria mirrored as she heard him mention the Vivaldi family, almost like she had heard something that sent fear straight to the depths of her soul.
"Are you sure it belongs to her?" Maria slowly opened her mouth to ask, doing her best to hide the fact that she was not happy in the slightest about it.
Nowhere close to how excited Luca seemed. Her own plan was for her to get Elisa into the house and have Dante fall for her.
’Billionaires are finicky. Even as a mistress my daughter will be well taken care of!’ she thought to herself, a light smile on her face even though her heart was black with anger.
"This is good! Very good!" Luca continued to mutter under his breath as he moved back to sit in his seat, staring at the pregnancy test in his hands.
Soon, the atmosphere dissolved into silence as they no longer spoke to each other and they simply kept their own thoughts to themselves.
But like a dutiful husband, it wasn’t until a few hours later that he finally left the hospital, much to Maria’s relief.
