Chapter forty two
Alora’s POV
I stared at my reflection, barely recognizing the woman staring back. Janice had worked magic; my hair shimmered under the light, soft curls framing a face that suddenly felt like a stranger’s.
For a moment, I almost smiled. But the longer I stared, the more I saw someone pretending to have her life together, a woman hiding bruised feelings under perfect curls.
I looked at the open closet door. Rafe had come upstairs before me and left. I was hoping I’d run into him and apologize before we joined the charade downstairs, but luck wasn’t on side.
I walked into the bathroom for a quick shower.
I was debating whether to wear one of the dresses Macko had brought or just my usual oversized shirt and baggy jeans. I imagined Macko’s face of disappointment and Rafe glaring at me throughout dinner, but the thought of Janice and Dora dolled up made my chest tighten. I guess a little dress-up wouldn’t hurt if I did too.
I slipped into the red dress first. It had a V-neckline completely exposing my cleavage and breasts. It hugged my body like a glove, reaching only mid-thigh. I’d not even zipped it up yet and I couldn’t breathe properly.
I froze mid-breath my heart thudding. I didn’t need to see him to feel him, the air always changed when he was near.
The door clicked open without warning, and Rafe stepped in. His gaze flicked over me, slow and unreadable, before he brushed past like I was invisible.
“Change,” he ordered, sharp and clipped, like the word itself was a sentence of judgment. We hadn’t spoken properly yet, and the only thing he did first was order me around.
He didn’t even look at me again. Just turned away, as if I’d already failed some test I didn’t know I was taking.
Was there anything I was ever going to do today to ease the tension between us?
Damn, I sure knew how to get under his skin.
I walked back into the bathroom, contemplating whether to wear the black dress or my usual outfit. The casual look meant I’d go back to face him, so I just wore the black dress, which was off-shoulder. It hugged every curve of my body, reached below my knees, and had a thigh slit. It wasn’t too tight, though, but with Rafe, anything was possible.
I tried zipping it up, but the zipper felt stuck. I walked back out, expecting him to be gone so I could call Maria from my phone to come help me.
To my disappointment, he hadn’t left. He was sitting on the couch, looking through a pile of paperwork.
He looked up, and for a minute, his jaw tightened, yet his face stayed expressionless. I froze, waiting for him to order me to change again. I was struggling with my zip too, but I wasn’t gonna ask for his help.
He got up and walked toward me, but went off to his closet instead.
I let out a breath of relief I didn’t know I was holding. At least he didn’t tell me to change.
I walked to the couch to look for my phone, but there was no sign of it anywhere. I must have left it downstairs. I couldn’t even go down like this. I removed the pillows from the bed, but it wasn’t there either. I huffed, throwing one of them across the room, only for it to hit Rafe. He caught it.
“Sorry,” I mumbled, quickly going to take it from him, but he grabbed my waist, turning me so my back faced him. My cheeks flushed as heat rushed through my body.
He said nothing, just caught the zipper and pulled it slowly upward. His fingers brushed my shoulder, lingering there like they remembered something I didn’t want to feel.
Every nerve in my body sparked alive. I wanted to move, to speak, to breathe, but all I could do was stand there and feel the war between anger and desire burning under my skin.
Oh, shoot! That was the place with the marks.
I quickly tried to hide it with my hand, but he shoved it away.
“How did you get this?” he asked.
“It’s nothing,” I said dismissively, trying to get away from his hold, but he held me tighter, making me stand still.
“Don’t make me force words out of your mouth, Alora,” he threatened.
“It was a guy at the party yesterday trying to harass me, but Nico took care of it,” I answered.
He zipped up the dress, didn’t say anything else, and walked of.
The sound of the door closing hit harder than it should have. Why did silence from him hurt more than his words ever could?
I sank onto the sofa, my hands over my head as I tried to relax, my heart racing like I’d been on a marathon.
After what felt like minutes, I was finally calm. I wore my shoes and walked downstairs. Hopefully, this didn’t end up disastrous.
My palms were slick with nerves. It wasn’t just dinner, it felt like walking into a performance where I didn’t know my lines.
I walked into the dining room to find Janice and Dora already sitting across from each other. Janice was in a lavender dress with a wide neckline, and she adjusted her boobs on display. My stomach twisted in disgust. Dora, on the other hand, had caked her face in heavy makeup and wore a pink lacy dress. Macko was distracted scrolling through his phone.
I walked to the kitchen to get myself a glass of cold water from the fridge. If I was going to survive through this dinner, I needed to calm down.
“Are you okay, my dear?” Maria asked as I walked in.
“Yeah, I just need some water,” I said, opening the fridge.
“You look beautiful with the new hairstyle, my dear,” she complimented.
“Thank you,” I answered, gulping down the glass of water.
I turned to leave when Maria nearly dropped the two trays she was trying to balance.
“Let me help you with that,” I offered, taking one tray from her hand.
I helped her carry out the dishes, the smell of roasted herbs filling the air while the women giggled like it was a beauty pageant. Rafe and Santino’s absence made the room quieter, but somehow heavier.
Finally, we were bringing out the drinks and dessert when they both arrived, and the air shifted. The ladies immediately adjusted themselves to sit elegantly.
Santino had his usual playful smirk, while Rafe was cold, his expression unreadable.
“Hey sis, long time no see,” Santino greeted.
“Good to see you around, bro,” I smiled, putting the dessert cups down.
“You look ravishing, what’s the occasion?” he teased.
"Thanks, but there isn’t one,” I answered.
I could feel Dora staring at me before she mouthed, “Why didn’t you tell me?” I guess she thought he was my brother.
“Hey ladies,” he greeted, taking a seat beside Macko, who was caught up in his phone.
“Hi,” they chorused, each trying to be impressive.
Rafe hadn’t said a word, just sat in his seat and kept glancing at me as I went back and forth, bringing the remaining food.
I started serving the food, and Janice was trying to make small talk with Rafe, who seemed annoyed.
Typical him. He was glaring at me, and Janice kept glaring at me angrily. How unfortunate. I really wanted her as my hairdresser long-term, but from this encounter, she would definitely burn my hair down for sure.
I went to take a seat finally when Janice’s voice made me halt.
“Alora, could you get me a glass of cold water?” she requested.
I knew she was doing this intentionally since there was a whole jug of water in front of her, but I just smiled, nodded, then walked into the kitchen.
I came back with a glass of water for her.
“Thank you.”
“Alora, could you also get me the same?” Dora said.
Jealousy clawed at my throat, bitter and ugly. I hated how easy she made it look, touching him, laughing, existing near him like she belonged there.
Everyone turned to look at me before looking at her. Macko mouthed a sorry while Santino watched a displeased Rafe, who was obviously trying to ignore me and keep his cool. I guess this was my punishment.
“Sure,” I smiled, going for another glass of water. When I got back the tension in the air was readable.
“Oh no, let me get that!” she purred, dabbing at his shirt with a napkin. Rafe didn’t move, didn’t even blink. The silence crackled between them, burning me alive at my rooted spot.
It looked like a stain, how did she even do that?
I placed the glass in front of Dora as everyone turned to look at me. I clenched my fists at the display in front of me.
Rafe finally peeled her hand off, getting up from his seat.
“Do you want me to go with you and help you change out of it? I can have someone bring a similar shirt,” she offered, obviously trying to flirt with him. This woman was really shameless.
She got up without warning and rushed to Rafe’s side. “Let’s go,” she nudged, taking his arm in her hand.
“Wife,” he called, his voice low yet deliberate.
Time froze. My chest tightened, heat racing through me. My pulse pounded in my ears.
Janice went stiff, lips parting as if to speak but stopping. Her composed facade cracked, frustration boiling just beneath. Dora’s teasing smirk vanished, her hand frozen mid-motion. Both women blinked rapidly, caught between disbelief and envy.
The tension between us was almost physical, a static charge that set every muscle on edge. Rafe’s gaze locked on mine, cold, absolute, claiming me without words.
Janice gripped the table edge; Dora’s shoulders stiffened as she tried to regain composure. Macko and Santino exchanged silent glances, witnessing the unfolding drama.
I swallowed hard, aware of every eye in the room. He'd called me “wife” several times but at that moment it lingered like fire, and suddenly nothing felt safe.
“Yes?” I whispered my voice tight, carrying the full weight of what was yet to be said.
“Have your guests behave,” he said, shoving Janice aside before glaring at them, his expression cold and indifferent.
“Santino, tell Fuego to prep the jet. We are leaving in ten minutes.” His tone was calm as he instructed. The kind of calm that meant something had snapped.
“Yes, boss.”
He walked off to the staircase, leaving me speechless.
He was leaving?
My chest tightened. Leaving meant space, and space meant distance. And distance was the one thing I wasn’t ready for.
“Alora, your so—” Janice started, but her voice blurred behind me. My heels echoed through the hall as I chased after Rafe.