HIS

Chapter 30

I was woken up by the sound of the door slamming, so I turned to check the time—it was 7:00. I could still feel the warmth on his side of the bed, which means he had just left. I need to speak to him today and find out what's really going on, because things can't continue like this. This isn't how a husband should treat his wife, no matter how tough things are. He's been distant ever since we got back from Italy.

I'm not sure if I did something wrong or if he regrets marrying me. Regardless of all that, I really need to get out of this house—I'm tired of just moving between the kitchen, the bedroom, and the home gym. I also need to pick up a few essentials, including underwear and groceries, since the fridge and cupboards are completely empty.

I decided to get up and make a smoothie, using the last of the frozen fruit since that's all that was left. After that, I spent an hour in the gym, then took a shower and got dressed. I focused on schoolwork for about three hours, and by 13:00 in the afternoon, I made the decision to call Domenico.

I tapped the dial button and waited a moment as the phone began to ring. He declined the call, and it went straight to voicemail. I tried again, but the same thing happened. I ended up lying on the couch, deep in thought, trying to figure out what my next step should be. I don't want to reach out to Kate or Camilla—I've never liked involving others in my personal matters. Maybe I'm wrong about there being issues between us. He could just be busy. Maybe I'm simply overthinking everything.

I ended up watching some Netflix and ordered a pizza to unwind. By around 22:00, I headed to bed, worn out from spending the entire day cooped up in the house.

I woke up at 3:00 to the sound of the front door closing and the sound of giggling. One voice was Domenico's, gently shushing someone, and the other was clearly a woman—I could tell by the tone of her laugh. Curious and uneasy, I slipped on a robe and quietly made my way downstairs. As I approached the lounge, where the noise was coming from, I was about to step inside when what I saw stopped me in my tracks and made my heart sink.

There was a blonde woman gently stroking Domenico's face, clearly intoxicated—her slurred speech made it obvious. He moved her hands away from his face and instead held them in his own.

"Isabella, thanks for tonight. I had a blast", he said.

The moment he said her name; a cold sweat broke over me and my heart shattered into pieces as I watched them in such an intimate moment. This was the woman he once claimed to despise with every part of himself—yet here he was, treating her with such warmth and kindness.

We have been married for a mere two seconds and it's already going like this? Why choose marriage when you never intended to respect your marriage or me?.

"No problem," she replied, gazing at him with affection. "These past two weeks have been everything I hoped for and more. But I have to go now. Will we see each other again for lunch?" she asked with a smile. He responded with a nod.

Two weeks? More than she hoped for? My heart is racing. So, this is where Domenico has been all this time. I thought he was out handling business or trying to get to the bottom of the attacks we've been facing. I feel completely blindsided.

I quietly made my way back to our bedroom and pretended to be asleep. There's no need to ask questions—what I witnessed with my own eyes was more than enough.

After spending about 30 minutes downstairs, Domenico finally came into the bedroom. I could hear him undressing before slipping straight into bed. He lay down with his back turned to me, and within a few minutes, he was already snoring.

I jumped out of bed and got dressed in a pair of jeans and a hoodie. Thankfully, I don't have to rely on a man financially. Thank you, Mom, for thinking ahead while you were still alive, I thought to myself. I pulled out the largest wheeled suitcase I could find and began packing everything I could—clothes, shoes, personal items, and important documents. The documents are a must—never forget those.