I Tried

iv

I flinched feeling the ribbon being yanked out of my hair. "You know I like your hair down." He said softly brushing my hair out of my face. "Now come you must be dying to see the nursery for James."

He yanked my arm and pulled me along with him to a door on a separate wall from the actual door. "Now I figured for the first couple of months it would be practical for him to be in the room next to us because you're used to sharing with him."

He spoke as if he had any emotion. "But we'll have to weed him off of that. We don't want my boy to dependent on you for much longer." I tried my hardest not to roll my eyes at the statement. The boy wasn't even a year old.

(Picture this but much bigger)

I gasped as he opened the door it was not only huge but it was an exact image of something that I had told him ages ago. He knew I loved teddy bears and neutral colors. "Isn't it wonderful. I had Bianca decorate it."

I once again grimaced at the name. The door opened just a few second later and in walked a maid I didn't recognize. She was holding Jamie and as I tried to run to him Antonio grabbed my arm with such a harsh grip.

"Do you believe you should have the privilege of holding my son?" He asked with he smug smirk on his face. "I mean you did keep all of the best moments away from me. You didn't even tell me he existed nothing piccolo topo."

I saw the maid watch with sympathetic eyes but I just put my head down in embarrassment. All I could do was pray that he didn't keep my son away from me. "Bring him here Maria." He motioned to the young woman and she did just that.

It pained me to see Antonio hold the boy I had fought so hard to protect but I knew there was nothing I could do. I fought a smile hearing Jamie start screaming and crying when Antonio tried holding him.

He looked over to me and tried to grab at me. Antonio rolled his eyes but his phone started to ring and he said "You can hold him but Maria stays the whole time and do not leave this room." I nodded quickly in understanding with pleading eyes.

He quickly handed him to me before storming out of the room. And Jamie immediately stopped crying and smiled at me grabbing at my hair. When the door closed Maria motioned to the chair in the corner. "Please miss sit."

I was very grateful and I limped slowly over to it still in pain from not even 30 minutes ago. I sighed seeing the way Maria looked at me "Though I appreciate the support I would love it if you didn't look at me like I was a lost puppy."

Maria quickly shook her head and nodded and I bumped Jamie on my knee before asking "Maria is Lucia here today?" She looked at me confused "I'm sorry miss but I don't believe that there is a Lucia that works here. At least not for the time I've worked here."

I nodded slowly and I softly asked "And how long has that been." Because I didn't think she had worked here before I left. "Almost 9 months. The woman before me had to leave for medical reasons." I didn't even want to think of the real reason behind Lucia's removal.

"Why did you run?" Maria asked out of nowhere after a few minutes of silence. I looked up at her shocked by her boldness. Most people who worked around here were too terrified to ask any questions about what happened in this house.

I opened my mouth to answer but quickly stopped hearing the door open. "Maria take the baby to the garden. I have some things to work out with his mother." I was reluctant to give him up but I knew it wouldn't end well if I defied his orders.

Maria took him from my hold before walking out of the room. I stared down at my shoes and tensed up even more when I saw his black dress shoes come into view. "Father says you should host a dinner. And we should say that we officially decided to announce James."

I didn't say anything because I knew I had no say in the matter. "You know it took quite a bit of convincing on my part to keep him from killing you as soon as I found you." He continued rubbing the back of my neck pushing my hair out of the way.

"I've always wanted to see you in a nursery meant for our children. I've always wanted to see you pregnant but you took that away from me Veronica." His voice got darker as he continued and I knew what was coming.

"Now would you like your first punishment now or tonight?" He seemed like he was genuinely asking but I didn't have the courage to speak. "Ahh." I yelled out as he squeezed the back of my neck yanking me up to his height. "I asked you a question amore mio."

I took a deep breath before saying "To-tonight." He nodded slowly as he placed me back down so I was standing on my own. "Come I would like to go for a walk." And he pulled me along with him as he walked out of the room.

The house was just as big as I remembered. Intricate designs all around and perfectly clean. Every time we passed a male guard I put my head down in fear of past experience this warning a chuckle from Antonio.

"I'm glad you remember some of the rules." He spoke low as he continued walking and we finally stopped right in front of a big black door. "But we have lots more to discuss. Things are quite different now."

He opened the door and pushed me inside of what looked to be his office. "Sit." He said before roughly pushing me down into one of the chairs in front of the desk and he walked around sitting in the big leather chair.

"As you could tell my father no longer lives in the house as tradition." It was how it goes when the next generation has a child the older moved into one of the smaller compounds around the country.

I couldn't believe he agreed to move out especially after what a scandal I had caused. Antonio's father is not a kind nor patient man. And he was adamant on living here till his death. But Antonio always followed tradition.

"So I guess you don't have to worry about him being around every corner anymore. But we do have some new rules." I nodded but didn't make eye contact as he continued what he had been saying.

"As you already know no looking to other men. Or finding refuge with workers around the house. Look how that turned out for Lucia." I shook finally knowing what I had thought was true. Lucia was like a mother to me and she knew what a monster Antonio was.

"As of now you do not leave the house but if you behave I will allow you to visit the gardens. And you are not to be left alone with my son. You can however hold him with someone present." I fought back a scoff hearing him say that but it seemed he noticed.

"Is there something you would like to say Veronica?" I quickly shook my head in fear earning a loud chuckled from the other side of the desk. "I see we still need a refresher on manners. They never were your cup of tea."

"Antonio!"