The Borrowed Bride [PUBLISHED]

Chapter 27: Ragusa Sicily

Where we love is home - home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts.

-Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

Leandro Salazar's POV

I still don't know if my decision had been correct coming here in the quest house and see Natalia. But I cannot let things the way they were back at the manor. Leila was stressing herself much from this thing and it's not healthy for our baby. From the start, I knew that she doesn't like Natalia still staying at the palace after my brother's death. But I cannot send her away I think it is like respect to Luis' memories that his wife should stay with us.

Nevertheless, I guessed it's time for me to make a decision. I slid out of my Range Rover and went directly to the dark guest house situated near the manor. I could bet my fortune that Leila will learn about this trip of mine in the morning and there's hell to pay for her wrath. However, I hope that she would be happy with the decision I will be making tonight.

I unlocked the front door and was greeted by a warm glow from the nearby lampshade in the living room. I saw Natalia patiently waiting for me sitting on the sofa.

"Finally, you're here." She said with a pleased smile on her face. "I knew you would come to me because you still love me."

What?

Before I could even react to her statement, she surprised me when she stood on the sofa and hugged me tightly. My body went rigid at the gesture. "I never stop loving you, Leandro. I sorely regret my decision to marry your brother to make you jealous and make you pay for your playboy ways before."

"Please don't go there, Natalia," I said, forcibly removing her arms that wrapped around me. "Please don't tell me that you regret marrying my brother. I cannot forgive you if you repeated those words. Luis loved you with all of his heart."

"But I don't love him!" She exploded angrily. "I thought for a time that I would learn how to love him but I can't. It's you that I love always."

I shook my head regrettably. "I'm sorry but I don't love and never did love you even once. I only see you before as one of those girls I can play with. I'm very sorry for my action from those years. I took it for granted that I can play with whoever I want and never thought of the consequence of it."

Her dark eyes narrowed. "It's all because of that woman, isn't it? You've been poisoned with her sultry looks and body."

"It's not only on the appearance that made me captivated by her," I answered with a mocking smile slipped on my face. "It's her zest for life. Her intelligence, her rebelliousness, her smile when I know she's enjoying a private joke on my benefit. I knew from that moment I saw her dancing in a bar to earn money for a living she's the one I've been waiting for. She shooed away wealthy men asking for a single night date with her like they were kind of insects."

Natalia snorted, her eyes filled with rage in their depth. "You only say that because she's a novelty to the women in your past. Women you associated with want to pleased you so badly so they could have a relationship with you while she is the opposite."

I nodded slightly. "You might be right. At first, I thought that she's a wayward waif traveling around the world with no permanent home. So I took it for granted when I finally caught that elusive fairy on my net to shower her with the luxury it never occurred to me that woman was a true-blue princess. And the reason she agreed to be my kept mistress was that she wanted to not because of my money."

"Then you accidentally made her pregnant." She said acidly.

"Then I made her pregnant," I repeated her word with a self-satisfied smile on my face. This might be the first time I would confess this. "Later on in our affair, I could see that she's started to get bored in our relationship I noticed that she's always on deep thoughts. I thought she wants out of our liaison and it got me scared so I ruthlessly thought of a plan on how to bind her to me forever."