chapter 45 Envy

chapter 45 Envy
Ruggero's POV

I watched Carla's face carefully as my words sank in.

"I could help you conceive the child you need," I said gently, keeping my voice low and intimate. "It would be my honor to provide what Alessandro cannot or will not give you."

"No." The word came out sharp and immediate. "Absolutely not."

I had expected this initial refusal. Women like Carla always needed to maintain their dignity before considering practical solutions.

"I understand your reluctance, but consider the logic—"

"There's nothing to consider." She straightened in her chair, some of her composure returning. "I don't know what twisted game you're playing, but I'm not pregnant because I already am pregnant. With my husband's child."

Admirable persistence, but her hands were trembling as she reached for her coffee cup. The small tell betrayed her despite her steady voice.

"Of course," I said smoothly. "How foolish of me to suggest otherwise."

I let silence settle between us for a moment, watching her fidget with her napkin. Fear was useful, but I needed to be more subtle in my approach. Too much pressure too quickly would send her running back to Alessandro.

"Tell me about your husband," I said, changing tactics. "You must love him very much to remain so loyal despite the circumstances."

"Ricardo is the kindest, most gentle man I've ever known. He sees beauty in everything, creates it with his own hands. When he looks at me, I feel like I'm the most precious thing in the world."

"And now?"

"Now he's fighting to recover so he can be the father our child deserves."

The conviction in her voice was touching.

"A noble fight. Though I wonder..." I paused, selecting my words carefully. "If the situation were reversed, if you were the one lying helpless in that hospital bed, would you want Ricardo to sacrifice his entire future waiting for a recovery that might never come?"

She flinched as if I'd struck her. "That's different."

"Is it? Or is it that you know, deep down, that love sometimes means letting go?"

"I'm not letting go of anything. Ricardo will recover, we'll raise our child together, and we'll have the life we planned."

I nodded thoughtfully, filing away her defensive reactions for future use. The woman was clinging to hope with both hands, which made her vulnerable to anyone offering a more practical alternative.

"Of course. Though if you ever found yourself in need of other options..." I let the suggestion hang in the air.

"I won't."

I tried several more approaches over the course of our meal. Offers of financial support, suggestions about relocating somewhere Ricardo's reputation couldn't follow, even veiled hints about more permanent solutions to her husband problem. Each was met with increasingly sharp refusals.

Carla might be desperate, but she wasn't stupid. And her loyalty to Ricardo, misguided though it was, ran deeper than I'd initially assessed.

Time for a different strategy entirely.

"You know," I said, cutting into my eggs with deliberate casualness, "I've always found medical conditions fascinating. The mind's power over the body, particularly in cases of psychological dysfunction."

She glanced up from her barely touched fruit, wariness flickering in her dark eyes.

"Take erectile dysfunction, for example. Often it's not a physical problem at all, but a mental block. The right psychological trigger can restore full function almost instantly."

Her fork froze halfway to her mouth. "What are you talking about?"

"Competitive instinct, jealousy, the primal need to reclaim what another man is taking." I kept my tone academic.

Carla set down her fork with careful precision. "That's disgusting."

"Is it? Or is it simply biology? The male drive to compete, to dominate, to prove superiority?" I leaned forward slightly. "If Alessandro's condition is psychological rather than physical, the right stimulus might cure him completely."

"You're suggesting that I..."

"I'm suggesting that sometimes healing requires unconventional approaches." I reached for the coffee pot, refilling her cup as if we were discussing the weather. "Alessandro watches while you and I provide the necessary stimulation. Nothing crude or disrespectful, of course. I would use protection, maintain proper boundaries."

For the first time since we'd begun talking, I saw genuine consideration flicker across her features.

"You're insane," she said.

"I'm practical. If witnessing intimate contact could restore Alessandro's function, wouldn't that serve everyone's interests? You would get the genetic material you need through natural conception, he would regain his masculine capabilities, and the psychological trauma that's crippled him for thirteen years could finally heal."

I could see her mind working, weighing possibilities against moral objections.

"It would only take once," I continued, spooning fresh fruit onto her plate. "One morning when he returns from his business, still exhausted and vulnerable. The shock, the jealousy, the competitive response. His body would remember what it's supposed to do."

"And if it doesn't work?"

The question confirmed what I already knew. She was considering it.

"Then we've lost nothing but an hour of time, and you'll know you explored every possible option." I smiled warmly. "But I have considerable experience with these matters. It will work."

Carla stared down at the fruit I'd placed before her, her breathing shallow and quick. "I can't... I couldn't..."

"You could. And you should. Tomorrow morning, when Alessandro returns from whatever bloody business kept him out all night. He'll walk into that hotel suite expecting to find you waiting obediently for his attention, and instead he'll discover you in the arms of another man."

I could practically see the fantasy taking shape in her mind.

"Just think about it," I said softly. "Don't give me an answer now. Sleep on it. But remember, Carla, this might be your only real chance to save your marriage and get the child you desperately need."

I signaled for the check, my work here complete. The seed was planted. Now I just needed to give it time to grow.