Marriage Merger

Chapter 33

Something was definitely wrong.

Ever since Adriano had woken up, he had a sinking feeling about the trip he was about to take with Ximena. Granted, he was happier than usual but there was something that just didn’t feel right. He couldn’t exactly put his finger on it; he knew that the honeymoon was going to end unexpectedly.

The worst thing was, he couldn’t express his concerns to Ximena. She was already over the moon with excitement to visit Ibiza, since she had never been there before. And he just couldn’t bring himself to tell her no…which could potentially be a problem someday in the future.

Santiago was right; she really does have me wrapped tightly around her little finger…

Shaking away his thoughts, he tuned himself back into the conversation that he was currently having with his new wife. “…sea diving. That sounds fun. I heard they even allow you to swim with sharks. Wouldn’t that be cool, Adriano?” she babbled animatedly, scrolling through the pictures o the online catalogue. They were a few minutes to touch down at the airport. The flight had been long and tedious. At this point, Adriano was just ready to get the hell out of the confines of the jet and kiss the ground hello.

Knowing about Ximena’s nervousness about flying, he had devoted most of his time to keeping her distracted be it by chatting about anything and everything, watching Marvel movies which he found rather childish and even taking selfies on Snapchat and Instagram. At some point, they had even listened to music and sang along together. Bottom line was, she was alright throughout the whole flight and that made him feel content.

He nodded absentmindedly at whatever she had been saying over the last twenty minutes. She looked over at him, and frowned. “Hey, did you hear anything I said? Are you even listening to me?” she asked with a pout. Such a spoiled brat, he thought mentally with an eye roll.

Nodding his head more convincingly, he grinned at her. “Sure, baby. When we get there, we can do whatever you like,” he told her but she didn’t believe him.

“But you don’t even seem excited. Since this morning you’ve been acting strange. Do you not want to spend time with me? Did I do something wrong? Is it because we didn’t…you know, last night?” she rambled, pout still intact and he laughed at her cuteness.

Grabbing her free hand, he placed a kiss on it. “Not at all. I’ll have you know that there is nothing in the world that I enjoy more than being in your company. It’s just that, I have this sinking feeling that things are not going to go according to plan. When ever I get this feeling, something terrible happens but it could just be me being paranoid. So, rest assured, amor, it has nothing to do with you.”

After saying that, the pilot announced that they were landing soon and that they needed to fasten their seat belts. Ximena exhaled deeply and closed her eyes tightly. It was the landing that made her freak out the most. Sensing this, Adriano grabbed her hand and squeezed it. “Breathe, sweetheart. I’m right here and I always will be.”

She opened one eye and peeked at him. “Promise?”

“Promise.”

About twenty minutes later, they touched down. It was late at night when they landed so they decided to rest up for the night at the villa they would be staying at. A BMW SUV was waiting for them once they exited the jet and drove them to their destination. Adriano had purchased it a week earlier, along with a yacht because he had planned to make it a vacation home for them. The Balearic Island had always held a special place in his heart, despite all the painful memories he’d kept locked up in the deepest crevice of his mind and he was hoping Ximena could erase all the unsavory thoughts about it…about his past.