9: Patience

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"Your hair looks nice." Antonio said gently as he stood up to kiss her forehead.

Olivia had Swedish heritage and had light blonde hair that was almost white. It was one of the things that had attracted him to her when they first met; her glorious mane of sunshine. She had bright blue eyes set in a heart shaped face that he used to get lost in.

After her accident had taken the use of all four of her limbs; Olivia was confined to a wheelchair that she was able to control through thought.

It was a revolutionary technology that had helped the few people in her situation that could afford it. Money being no object for him, Antonio had made sure that Olivia had the best care, no matter what.

"Thank you. I'm surprised you noticed." She said as she wheeled away from him into her space at the dinner table.

"Liv...come on,"

"Come on what? I haven't seen you in a week, you barely call and now you greet me with a kiss on the forehead!" Antonio sighed and looked away from her, shaking his head.

"What do you want from me Liv?"

"I want you here Antonio, with me!"

"I am here with you! I've been here with you for ten years!"

"And I continue to pay for that every day, don't I?"

"What are you talking about?" he said looking at her in confusion.

"You know what I'm talking about! I told you to leave, I told you to get on with your life!"

"And I chose not to, I chose you! Why are we fighting because I chose to love you?" he bellowed at her and Olivia went quiet.

Antonio slammed his fist on the dinner table,

"I cant keep doing this with you Olivia...I cant keep proving that I love you."

"You don't love me Antonio...you pity me." Antonio sighed,

"That's not fair,"

"It doesn't make it any less true," tears welled in Olivia's eyes as her chair turned away from him,

"Where are you going?"

"Back to my room."

Her response cut him like a knife as the other division in their marriage was made apparent; he and Olivia didn't sleep in the same room anymore.

In the beginning, they had but she had begun to resent not being able to cuddle like they used to or even of course to make love.

It didn't matter that Antonio made the effort to hug her; she couldn't feel it and so resented his touch. She'd asked him a year later to sleep somewhere else and he had done ever since.

Olivia's bedroom had been adapted for the use of her wheelchair. There were lifts all over the house to get her to different levels, so she was never confined but she had stopped leaving the house many years ago.

She had a team of rotating nurses that looked after her and did her hair and makeup; she had everything to her hearts desire except the use of her body.

"Liv please don't go. What about dinner?"

"I'm not hungry," she said defiantly making him bang his fist on the table again,

"Olivia come back here NOW!"

As he shouted, Mrs Barnes walked in and quietly placed a tray of sliced beef and salad on the table before disappearing again.

"Olivia...please," he said quietly as he closed his eyes in defeat.

He hated fighting with her but he didn't know what else to do. Everything he did or said was wrong and it had been that way for years.

He understood as much as he could that life was hard for Olivia but she didn't help situations by being so aggressive towards him. He loved her dearly but she made it difficult to like her. Because of that, he did stay away from home a lot; trying to get away from the drama. He lost himself in his work just so he wouldn't have to deal with her abuse.

Slowly, her chair turned and she was back at the table,

"Thank you...would you like something to drink."

"Water...please," she said quietly and so Antonio poured her a glass of water, placed a straw in it and brought it to her lips for her to drink.

For the next few minutes; Antonio did as he did when he was home for dinner and fed his wife. Small mouthfuls as he told her about his day and she smiled and nodded where appropriate.

He hated discussing most of the things he got up to, knowing full well that she had nothing to contribute to the conversation,

"Why are you back so soon?" Olivia asked when she'd finished her food and Antonio shared some out for himself. "I thought you'd be away until the end of the week at least, before we go and see your parents.

Should he tell her now?

Sorry honey, the reason I came home early was to escape the temptations of the young woman I cheated on you with

Somehow, he didn't think that would go down so well. What did it matter any way, Liana had been a tremendous mistake; a mistake he could forgive himself for eventually. He had been faithful to his wife for ten years; he was due one slip up...right?

There was only so much self-pleasure a man could take.

"Asahd, Julian and David found themselves some company and I didn't want to be the seventh wheel as it were."

As soon as the words had left his lips; he knew they were wrong as Olivia's face suddenly went cloudy,

"So you were with women?"

"Liv, don't."

"Were you with women or not Antonio?"

"Olivia do not start this again!"

"Were you with women or not Antonio!" she screamed at him,

"Of course I was, I just told you I was! I also told you who else was there but you choose to ignore that part don't you!"

Olivia narrowed her eyes at him and scoffed,

"You expect me to believe that your friends had women and you didn't?"

Antonio hated that for once, she was right. Every other time he would have freely told her that she was barking up the wrong tree but this time; she wasn't so he said nothing.

"I'm going to bed," he said instead.

"Don't walk away from me Antonio," Olivia warned as he got out of his seat. "Don't you dare walk away from me!"

Antonio kept walking away,

"Antonio...ANTONIO!" Olivia screamed, but he'd already drowned her out with thoughts of Liana.


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Let me know what you think of Olivia as well as Antonio now you know his home situation. Vote and Comment! x

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