Would she be though? she wondered disconsolately as she pushed herself away from the sink after washing her face with cold water to revive herself. She had just gone into the kitchen to get herself a cup of tea when her phone started to ring. Forcing herself not to hurry and thinking and hoping that it was her husband, she hurried to get it from her bedroom, squelching her disappointment when she saw that it was her mother.
“Mom.”
“How are you, honey?”
“I am fine. Just going to get something to eat.”
“How are you really? Did he call? Is he on his way?”
Lauren walked into the kitchen to put the kettle on, determined not to give into tears. “He is on his way.”
“Honey, I hate to state the obvious, but you are married to a very visible man, and a very powerful one. He is not going to stand for you not being there with him. What is this about? What brought on this decision?”
Lauren closed her eyes briefly, feeling the tears trickling down her cheeks.
“I cannot discuss that with you, Mama. It is just something I need to do. I asked him for two weeks to sort things out.” She took a deep breath before continuing. “It is something I need to do Mama.”
“Your father and I were thinking that you should come and spend that two weeks with us.”
“Why?”
“Your apartment is going to be surrounded with reporters, clamoring to find out the scoop. People are going to speculate as to the reason you have not left with your husband. You are going to need our support.”
Lauren closed her eyes and turned off the flame. “I will think about it. In the meantime, I have my show to prepare for. I will talk to you later.”
“Okay, honey.” Her mother paused. “Whatever it is, I am sure you can fix it and if you love him.”
“I do.”
“Then do what you can to fix things.”
She hung up and stared at the ring on her left finger. When she had asked Piero why he did not want to wear a ring, he had told her that he was not a jewelry person, but she had a feeling that was not case. Sitting at the stool, she twisted the ring around her slender finger, watching as it shot sparks of fire around the room. She started to take it off but decided against it - she was not going to give up on her marriage without a fight. Maybe she had overshot her mark by letting him leave without her, by sending him back to the woman he had feelings for, but it was something she had to do. She was certainly not going to give him up without a damned fight!
*****
Piero leaned his head back against the padded rest of the seat and closed his eyes briefly. He had been unable to sleep last night and had kept reaching for her. He had been furious at her decision to stay behind but had contained his fury well – something he was an expert at doing. And if he was being truthful to himself, he would agree with her that maybe they needed time apart, not that he would ever think about dissolving his marriage - that was certainly out of the question! Their family were staunch Catholics and did not believe in divorces. It had been that way over the centuries and even in this modern era when the dissolution of marriages was considered commonplace, it still held firm for them. And there was something much more personal - he needed her! His body tightened at that. He craved her body more than he had ever craved anything before, but he had no intention of allowing her to dictate anything in their lives. He was the man in the relationship and that was something she had to deal with. She was an American and was used to unbridled freedom, and as much as he admired her vivacity and effervescence as well as her unusual beauty, she had to come to realize that her life had taken a turn when she became his wife. There were certain things she would never be allowed to do, and she was going to have to accept that fact. His eyes flew open as he felt the presence hovering.
“I am sorry Mr. De Luca,” the pretty stewardess apologized, her dark blue eyes portraying her admiration of him. “I just wanted to know if you would like something to eat.”
“Not right now,” he dismissed her curtly, “I will call if I need anything.”
He waited until she had left before pulling out his phone. It was afternoon in his country, but even if it was not, it would not have made a difference. His assistant, Elmo, was at his beck and call twenty-four seven!
The man greeted him in Italian.
“I am in transit and should arrive in the next six hours.”
“I will have a car waiting.”
“I also need you to liaise with the PR department to get a press release out. My wife will be joining me in two weeks’ time. You know what to do.”
Elmo did not ask questions; he was too professional for that. “I will put a spin on it at once.”
“Good.” Piero did not thank him, and it was not expected. “What do you have for me?”
“Meetings set up with the designers to go over the latest amended designs. I have also set meetings for the rest of the week. Milan has been calling as well as France. They are aware of your wedding and that you had taken a couple of days for the honeymoon.”
“I will get back to them as soon as I can. I will see you in a few hours, Elmo.” He hung up without waiting for a response and powered up his laptop. He had work to do and could not concentrate on anything else right now.
*****
“Are you going to divorce her?” Alba brought up the question right after dinner.
He had arrived in the late afternoon and had gone directly to the towering building that was the corporate office of their brand. Elmo had been in the car that had picked him up at the airport hangar and had taken his luggage and handed it to the driver. During the ride he had apprised him of everything and brought him up to speed. He had chosen to go directly to the office so that he would avoid the interrogation from his father and the entreaties from his mother. His sister did not have that problem and probably had sat around the dinner table itching to find out what was going on. His father had marched into his office and demanded to know what was happening.
Piero gave her an impatient look as he eased out of his shoes. It had been a very long day and he wanted to unwind and study the designs that had been sent to his email just a few minutes ago. He was filling the void with work so that he did not have to think about her – he had sent a concise text to let her know that he had landed and was going straight to the corporate office. She had not responded, and he had decided to let it go. The different time zones would work against them and he was aware of that, but that did not mean she had not gotten his message and was being stubborn and willful about the situation.
“That is not a question you should be asking me.” His eyes softened as he stared at her. He was older than her by six years and had always looked out for her. She was engaged to marry to the only son of a very prominent vintner, and he wondered fleetingly if she was in love with him. It was a very good match and a profitable one as well.
“She decided not to come with you,” she pointed out as she sat on the edge of the silk covered chaise inside his bedroom.
His entire suite, comprising of four bedrooms, three baths, a sitting room, and an office where he spent most of his time working, as well as a well-equipped gym, had been designed with his tastes in mind and was very masculine, with colors ranging from tan to slashes of bold red and teal blue. A balcony overlooked the lush green grounds that extended for miles and the gently rolling hills that could be clearly seen from his bedroom.