Chapter 91 What if we try, Scarlett?
CHAPTER 91
What if we try, Scarlett?
ROMAN – POINT OF VIEW
“I now pronounce you Man and Wife.”
Luca cups his wife’s face, and he kisses her firmly, unashamedly, in front of their families.
My gaze finds Scarlett, and it lingers on her. She’s smiling so widely, eyes shining bright. She looks happy, and I am powerless against it as her happiness seeps into me.
Luca carries Adeline, who gasps in scandal. He holds her firmly in his arms and smiles as everyone throws flower petals at them, a symbol of the beginning of a strong and unbreakable union. More emphasis on unbreakable. The only thing that can shatter what they’ve tied today is death, and even after, they’re still bound. Soulmates are forged, after all.
Soon, we’re having the celebratory dinner.
Scarlett has changed out of her dress into a shorter and slicker one. I frown at her because it seems the dress is made out of the tiniest fabric, one that can slip off at anytime.
I pull off my suit jacket and drape it over her shoulder.
She blinks in confusion but says nothing.
I settle beside me and enjoy the meal provided.
I am still tense, watching, waiting for an attack that seems never to come.
I’m not the only one who’s tense. Scarlett is, too. Luca, and even Adeline. I’d like to say Scarlett seems scarred and paranoid, but she doesn’t. She has taken it in stride, acting as if nothing happened, as if she wasn’t captured and held on a ship, as if a madman didn’t hold a knife to her throat, as if she didn’t get hurt. I understand Adeline, but not her. She doesn’t seem to care as if it’s a second nature, as if she has always known what to do when danger of this manner happens.
“So, what’s the plan? When are we seeing a cradle?” Adeline’s mother asks warmly.
“Oh, I love babies!” Chiara gasps.
“Then, have one, sister.” Adeline scoffs.
“Absolutely not. She’s just twenty-one.” Luca snaps.
“And, I’m just twenty-four, and you married me.” Adeline counters with a smile.
Scarlett shifts in her seat, taking a spoonful. I follow her cue.
He grins and shakes his head, “I did.”
“Looks like we’ll be seeing a cradle sooner than expected.” Vincenzo grunts, scrunching his nose.
“At least let me have my baby first,” Gianna suggests, hand on her tummy.
Scarlett smiles, taking another bite.
“Please, please, please, my husband has the mentality of a child, and that is enough for me,” Adeline says dramatically.
“How about you, Scarlett? When will you have your baby?” Francesca turns the attention on us.
Scarlett stiffens immediately, dropping her fork. It clatters and fills the silence momentarily.
“We …” she stammers and looks at me, “We have not discussed babies yet.”
“But you’re open to the idea of one?” Milana probes.
Scarlett blinks, cheeks flushed, and looks at me for help.
I respond, “A baby will be a blessing. We’re old enough and in a consensual relationship. We’re also getting married soon. We try to be safe, but a baby will be welcomed.”
My mind strays to the only time we’ve ever had sex, before I found out that she betrayed me. We weren’t … safe. We’d indulged in the raw contact, and it had been absolutely heavenly, but the possibility of a pregnancy seems impossible.
“How soon, though?” Adeline’s mom pulls me from my thoughts.
“What?” I frown, scratching the nape of my neck.
There’s no way Scarlett is pregnant, right?
“How soon are you getting married? You’re not getting any younger, and Scarlett is right at the peak of her womanhood. Having a child now will be a perfect blessing. Adeline is twenty-four, so a child now will be the healthiest, of course, but you men are older; how old are you again, Roman? Thirty-one? You’re in your thirties, and the women are in their twenties. You need to have a child now. In fact, I have some herbs that help… child … son … baby … your … legacy … daughter …”
Her words float in and out of my head.
The tie around my neck turns to a noose.
Heat flushes through me, and my chest caves in painfully.
My body begins to tremble.
I get up immediately, knocking against the table loudly. The platter clatters and they gasp.
Sweat beads on my forehead, and my vision blurs.
Scarlett is at my side already, grabbing my hand as Luca gets up.
“What’s going on? Are you okay?” He demands, looking around, as if waiting to see the gun aimed and validate all his paranoia.
“Roman, what’s wrong?” Scarlett’s voice is a lullaby, a siren’s call.
I stagger backwards, escaping her hold and lure, “I … I need some air.” I wheeze.
Then, I turn around and walk away from the garden.
My headache intensifies, and every step I take only adds to it.
My body is wound tight, and I feel as if I might snap.
She got in my head with her words of legacy and children. I can’t have a child now. My father’s legacy is ruined,d and all I’m known for is my greed and cruelty. What legacy will I leave to my child, to my wife, Scarlett? What happens when I die? Will everything be in shambles? I might not live long. I probably won’t, and I need to know I’ll be remembered for something other than my greed, something more.
“Roman!” Scarlett calls, breathless.
I turn around and see her running towards me.
“What’s going on? Are you hurt? Has your stitch ripped?” She whispers, confused, panting.
I exhale shakily and ask cautiously, “Are you pregnant, Scarlett?”
“What?” She’s obviously taken aback.
“Are you pregnant?” I clench my jaw hard, “We weren’t safe the last time we had sex, and all that talk of legacy has gotten into my head. So, please tell me the truth, are you pregnant?”
My words are laced with desperation.
She shakes her head softly, as if knowing her answer will wreck a part of me I always buried.
“I’m not pregnant, Roman. I would have told you if I were.”
I nod and pretend my heart doesn’t sting. It feels like something has been taken from me, and I’m mourning the loss of something I never had.
I turn away from her and run my tongue over my teeth.
I don’t want to do this anymore.
I turn to her and propose, “What if we do this for real? No pretence, no contracts, just pure vulnerability and an unavoidable need. What if you marry me because you want to, not because you have to? What if … what if we try, Scarlett?”
Her eyes widen, and I brace myself for her rejection.