Impassive

1| Paint

"You will marry him, and you better do it smiling!" her father said. She forced a smile on her lips.

MATTEO

I was annoyed and exhausted from staring at the monitor for what felt like an eternity. As I glanced out the window, the pale light of morning revealed that the night had slipped away unnoticed. It was futile to keep pushing myself; I needed a break and something other than coffee. Reluctantly, I closed my laptop and stood up, ignoring the neatly folded letter lying beside me. With a dull thud, I shut the door to my office behind me.

From the other side of the house, I could already hear the faint chatter of the staff exchanging morning greetings. I hoped to avoid any direct interaction; I despised early morning conversations even when I was fully awake, and it wouldn't be any better today, lacking sleep.

As I made my way to the kitchen, the voices grew louder, blending with the sound of footsteps. I braced myself for the possibility of interaction, wishing I could slip past unnoticed. Just as I poured myself another cup of coffee-more a reflex than a conscious decision-I heard a cheerful voice call out, "Good morning, Mr. Bellandi! Will Mrs. Bellandi join us for breakfast, or is she still with her friend?" A knot tightened in my stomach. The question hung heavy in the air, laden with unspoken tension. Before I could respond, the sharp ring of the doorbell sliced through the chatter, a welcome interruption.

"Excuse me," I said quickly, grateful for the distraction. I set down the coffee cup and made my way to the door, relief washing over me. But as I opened it, my sense of relief was short-lived. Two police officers stood before me, their serious expressions immediately draining any comfort I felt. My first instinct was to assume they were there to arrest me. My second thought was how naïve they must be, thinking two of them could manage someone like me.

"Yes?" I snapped, my voice sharper than I intended, but I didn't care.

"Mr. Bellandi, my name is Officer Wilson. May we come in for a moment? It's about your wife." My heart sank. What had Ava done? She wouldn't-

I stepped aside, motioning for them to follow me into my office. "What's going on?"

The officer removed his hat, revealing a furrowed brow. "I'm afraid I have some bad news. Your wife was found unconscious in an alley two days ago. She suffered a severe head injury and is currently in a coma at Killian Hospital. We couldn't inform you sooner because it was difficult to identify her due to her injuries, and she hadn't been reported missing-"

"She was supposed to be with a friend," I interrupted, the lie slipping from my lips with unsettling ease. "You said she has a head injury? So someone did this to her?"

The officer nodded, sympathy etched on his face. What good was his sympathy to me? "It appears to be a robbery gone wrong. I know this is a lot to take in, but I must ask: where were you three nights ago between 11 PM and 3 AM? Do you know anyone who might want to harm your wife?"

I scoffed, incredulous. "I was at my club; the staff can confirm that. And no, my wife has no enemies." But I did.

The officers exchanged glances as my words hung in the air. Officer Wilson nodded slowly, clearly weighing my response. "I'm sorry, Mr. Bellandi. We still have to consider all possibilities."

A tightening sensation gripped my stomach. "What about her? Will she wake up?" The question slipped out before I could rein it in, and I wasn't sure why it even mattered.

"At this point, we can't say," Wilson replied carefully. "She's receiving medical care, but we don't know when or if she'll regain consciousness." A heavy silence settled between us, punctuated only by the distant laughter of the staff, which felt jarring in contrast to the grim news.