Page 14 of Bad Husband

Rather than go down into the basement, she took a turn and made her way into the kitchen, as the staff were not up. She located the cereal, poured herself a bowl, as well as made herself a large mug of coffee. Back at the trailer, it was instant, but she took great pleasure in knowing how to load the coffee machine with the beans. This felt good. No awkward moments.

She took her cereal and coffee outside, and stared out across the garden, and it was then she realized she didn’t miss the fucking guards, the soldiers walking the grounds. When she did live here, she was so used to them being there, it was like they blended into the background. Now, they stuck out like sore thumbs. The guns they carried were ready for any kind of action. Always prepared for some potential threat. This was the life she knew. One she’d been happy to live with Marco.

Married life with Marco had been a dream. Although it was arranged, she loved spending time with him. Even though he was a busy man, he made time for her. Every single night, he would come home, always before eight, so they could spend time together. She knew they had a duty to create a son, but it never felt like he came home out of duty. It always felt like he came home because this was where he wanted to be. It felt so natural to be with him. So easy.

He wasn’t cruel. When they were alone, he was the kindest man she had ever known, even kinder than her father. She never got to see the evil that helped forge his reputation. That was all gone. Alone on the back porch, eating her chocolate cereal, she couldn’t help but admit this was hard. It was hard being here, with all the happy memories, as they far outweighed the bad.

The bad memories were from one experience, that was all, one. The moment he believed the worst of her and had her tortured in that fucking basement, which is why she wasn’t in a hurry to get down there. She’d been taken from her dining room, the one she sat in last night. Planning the perfect Christmas with her husband, with the intention of gifting Marco a dog. Everything was going perfectly, and she didn’t know how anything could go wrong, until she was snatched to that basement and endured several hours of torture. She figured it wasn’t the worst kind of torture, but it wasn’t something she ever cared to repeat.

That was when her life changed forever.

A little bark got her attention, and she turned to see the labrador she’d not seen in over six months. Poodles. The dog she picked for Marco, with the hope of him falling in love and wanting to take Poodles’ brothers and sisters, and mother. They’d been abandoned when the mother was pregnant, and the shelter did tell her there were always cases of abandoned pregnant dogs, as people didn’t want the cost of taking care of pets. They were a lot of work.

“He finally took you in. Did you arrive on Christmas Eve, like I planned?” she asked. She’d have been alone and freezing at that time.

“No,” Marco said, startling her.

She was bent down, giving the little pup a stroke. She turned to look at him.

“You didn’t get him on Christmas Eve?”

“No, I was not here, and the people from the animal shelter were sent away.”

“Why?”

“I do not know, but I figured they mentioned you, and that is why the staff sent them away. I was made aware of your arrangements a few weeks ago.”

She chuckled. “Oh, when you clarified I was not on the video.” She should have known he wouldn’t take this pup in on his own free will. Just knowing that made her hate him just a little.

Until Poodles gave her one final lick and immediately went to Marco, sitting at his feet. The dog’s tail was the giveaway, wriggling from side to side as he tried to contain his excitement. It was so cute to watch, and she didn’t want to look, but Marco bent down and picked up the puppy. She knew it wasn’t going to be long before he was too big to be picked up.

“I love my gift, Chiara, thank you.”

She hated how her gut twisted and her heart gave a little squeeze. This meant nothing to her. It was an old gift. Wasted.

There was nothing wasted on a dog being loved. She saw Marco loved the dog.

“You know, I had planned for you to fall in love with Poodles, and then he had brothers and sisters, and a mother at the shelter, and I had hoped we would adopt them all.” She got to her feet. “It’s amazing how everything changes, isn’t it?”

“Chiara—”

“I think it’s time I go and deal with old Henry and Gabrielle now.” She’d been delaying it for stupid reasons. She didn’t want to go down into that basement, where she knew she’d been hurt.

Pushing those thoughts aside, she picked up her bowl and coffee mug, making her way back into the kitchen, where the staff were finally gathered, cleaning up and preparing for the day. She offered them a smile, carried her items to the kitchen, and cleaned them up.

“Who put the coffeepot on?” the chef, Grant, asked. He looked red in the face, as if she had ruined his day by putting the coffeepot on.

“I did,” she said, and smiled at him.

“Oh.” All of his rage disappeared.

“Is that a problem?” she asked.

“No, no, it’s not, Mrs. Volpi. It is just part of my morning routine, and I am not used to ... well, I also wanted to make sure it was clean.” He bowed his head.

“No harm done. Why don’t you all have coffee, wake up, and enjoy the break, then make a fresh pot? I don’t claim to have your amazing skills, Grant.”

She knew how particular Rosemary was to her routine, especially when it came to opening the shop. She always talked about how important it was to have a routine, so nothing was left untouched. Chiara always let her perform her routine, and she did her own.