Mafia Billionaire’s Forlorn Wife
Chapter 33

“Sweetheart, you should head to bed now.” I tell her, rubbing circles on the top of her arms but she pouts in such an adorable manner that I almost k**s her.

Shaking her head, she says, “I’m not sleepy yet.” She whispers, “I’m still celebrating my birthday.”

I quirk my brow in amusement at that, “is that so?” I ask, “and how are you doing that?”

She points shakily to the bottles of wine that I recognise from my collection of vintages, “Vernon gave me these. They were absolutely delicious.” She says smacking her lips together to express just how delicious the wine was, “and plus, I still have to finish reading this.” She says picking up the book that fell beside my laps on the couch after I picked her up and sat her in my lap.

It is a pretty thick book, “that seems like an interesting read.” I note, staring at it to find the title to be ‘The Stars That Aligned’. It has an eclectic cover that looks like a fusion of a cosmos and a nerve ending. The design is very clever, if I am being honest, “what’s it about?”

I don’t even know why I am asking her all these questions but I know that I feel guilty of the way her night has turned out to be and I don’t wish to make her feel miserable in the last few minutes of her birthday.

She beams at my question before she instantly launches into an elaborate summary of the plot of the novel— the same way that she always does whenever she’s passionate about a new story that she’s read.

“Okay, so basically, the story is about the last surviving girl after the destruction of the entire planet and she’s spent years trapped here because of her special abilities but she has no one alive to spend her time with.” She rambles on as I listen to her with interest, “but one fine day a space ship lands near her and when she runs to find out who it is, she finds a group of men and women who had been sent to space to find new planets where human survival is possible. Now, our lovely hero is someone on this group and the two of them navigate this lifeless planet before travelling onto other worlds and facing dangers there. It’s this dystopian, young adult romance, and I absolutely love it!”

I am amazed how well she can recite the events of the book even after being under the influence of the alcohol that she has had to drink.

“Always the dreamer, aren’t you?” I whisper to her, unable to stop myself from tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear as I look at her with a small smile fixed on my lips.

She grins, “always.” Whispering that, she leans forward and juts out her lips, “k**s me.” She commands in a breathy voice as her eyes remain focused on my lips.

I shake my head, “you should sleep, baby girl.” I tell her, holding her tightly against myself but still wanting to push her away. I am getting attached to her again and somehow I know that she is just going to make me regret my decisions again.

Just like she did before.

She shakes her head at that, “but I have no intentions of sleeping yet.” She says defiantly, “now k**s me.”

And with that, she places her soft lips on my own and I feel heat scorching down my body as she k****s me unabashedly and thoroughly.

For a moment, I lose myself in her completely as I k**s her back, moving my lips in sync with hers while I grip the back of her head and try to get as much of her as possible.

Arabella sometimes becomes the air in my lungs and no matter how much I try, I can never shake her off.

I k**s her like a man starved and when I pull away, it is with a strangled growl that escapes my lips while I press my forehead against hers, breathing deeply as the two of us try to catch our breaths.

That is when the clock strikes twelve and the spell is broken as her head swiftly turns back to look at the clock and I find her eyes widening before her shoulders practically deflate and she looks like she is too sad to comprehend anything else.

“Ivy, listen to me…” I try to urge her to look at me but her eyes are still fixed on the clock and I feel like punching my own jaw right now.

I don’t understand why she didn’t celebrate her birthday with her friends. I don’t know why she was sitting here alone when in truth she could’ve gone out tonight.

She humphs before she rests her head against my chest, snuggling into me as she clutches onto my collar, almost afraid that if she lets go then I will disappear.

“You trouble me so much, pumpkin.” And with that, her breathing evens out and I sit here amazed and confused about what I am feeling at the moment.

I sit in silence for a few moments, pondering over how ridiculous my life has become and how uncertain I am about everything that I feel.

Arabella married me for the money but she didn’t spend a dime from my card when she was given the chance. She works hard for her own company and doesn’t rely on her father’s money either, at least from what I have found out so far. She doesn’t involve herself in petty bullshit that most women in my knowledge are doing at the moment. And I have never seen her concerned about what would other people say about her actions.

She is her own person.

And yet, there is a part of me that cannot forget the fact that her father killed the one person who understood me the most in this entire world.

I cannot forget about that.

My father was the most important person in my life, especially considering that my mother has never given two f***s about me aside from keeping her reputation sparkling and the cash flowing in her bank account.

Dominico killed my father and I am currently married to his daughter who does seem to love me on most days.

I don’t know what to think of this all.

“She’s too good for you, you know?”

I look up to find Vernon standing in front of me staring down at Arabella’s sleeping frame in my arms.

I don’t know why but I tighten my grip on her for a moment, possessiveness overtaking my body as I frown at Vernon, “what do you want?” I grumble.

Vernon gives me a sharp look, “I want you to understand the impact of your decisions, Rhys.” He states in an authoritative tone.

“And what decisions might those be?” I snark.

He narrows his eyes at me, “you care about her. I know that you do. But still you keep her at arm’s length. Your behaviour is not acceptable, Rhys, and I shouldn’t have to remind you that one day you will regret doing all these things.”

I roll my eyes at him, “I haven’t done anything.” I mutter looking away, unable to meet his eyes.

He gives me a look of all seriousness, “is that so?” He asks, “do you know why your wife was here reading a book on her birthday night?”

When I don’t say anything, he continues, “she declined Leo of all his tries to get her to come out. She denied me of any plans. She even said no to Frida. All because she wished to spend the night with you. She was waiting for you for the whole evening and when she was certain that you weren’t coming, she finally cracked open the wine that she had set out for dinner with you. It’s your favourite merlot, for f**k’s sake!”

By the time he is done speaking, he is out of breath and my eyes travel to the empty bottles of wine and I realise that he is telling the truth.

I look down at my wife who is sleeping in my arms at the moment and I don’t know what to think of this all as I sit there in shock.

“Realise your mistakes before it is too late, Rhys.” Vernon glowers at me before he turns around and walks away, grumbling under his breath the entire time.

I continue looking at Arabella, “you really do love me, don’t you, moya solnyshka?” I ask her softly, and I swear I feel her grip tighten on me by just a fraction.

And so, shaking my head, I gather her in my arms and stand up from the couch. And for the first time since our wedding, I finally take her back to my own room for the night.

I don’t know if I will come to regret this decision or not, but I do know that it is the right thing to do for the moment.