Chapter Twenty Three

His hands were in his pocket. He was standing inches back from the gargantuan glass wall. It was on the fifteen floor and he blankly darted his eyes out. He could hear voices from behind him which he was fully ignoring. His thoughts were occupied with his wife, her misty eyes, flowing down her tears. His menacing tone, cold stare could not make her tell it to him. Lana's soft words and loving nature did it easily. He was craving her to share anything with him without any fret and horror.
" Is everything alright between you and Mia? " Michail asked him.
" Yes, she's missing her parents. I can't bring them back." He exhaled.
He and Michail had grown up together. His father had worked for his father. After his parents death, his father and mother had looked after him.
" He has a brother, right? Why don't you invite them. " Michail suggested.
" Whatever he did, I don't think it's a good idea. " He said.
" She has accepted you. She'll forgive him too, maybe not now but in future. I can't see you lost like this. You didn't pay any attention in the meeting. " Michail said.
He turned away from the glass wall and glanced at him, " I'll talk to her. " He whispered and took out his phone. He didn't want to hurt her more. He was glad that she had begun to accept their relationship, their marriage.
Knocking on the door made them to quit, " Come in, Gorky. " Michail said. He held his laptop and Gorky made his pace back out of the hall, " Lana went to meet his brother. You should watch it." Michail said.
" Shouldn't you tell him? So she can gladly meet her family without any fear. " He said, but fisted his hands, recalling last night and the face of Martino.
" I think she 's frightened that I'll.... um you know. I wasn't good with her in the past three months. You should see this. She took Mia with her. " Michail said and played the video.
He already knew it but he wanted to hear from his wife. He strode and stood behind his chair and dug his eyes on the screen. His eyes were on his wife. He wanted to throttle Martino when he again touched his wife. He ran his hand in his hair.
I hope I've inculcated into Mia that she belongs to me. I don't wanna harden with her. He thought.
He saw her lost in her thoughts watching at woods, her scared face when her phone buzzed in her hand. He didn't watch it till the end as he had seen her till the end with his naked eyes. He was there when she went with Lana. He wanted her to tell him. But she didn't utter a single word, perhaps she didn't want to put Lana in any trouble.
" Shit! Ethan… I'm.. " Michail said, looking at the screen.
" I already knew it. " He said and sauntered away.
He got in his car and drove back home. He directly paced at their bedroom.
He grabbed the door knob and turned it. His eyes laid on Mia. She was sleeping soundly. Her laptop was lying in her lap and holding her phone in second hand. He carefully slipped the phone from her hold and picked up the laptop from her lap and put it on the table. He scooped her up and reclined her on the mattress. He leaned down and softly pecked on her cheek.

* * *
She blinked, moving her sleepy eyes around. It wasn't the place where she fell asleep. She wandered her eyes around in the room to find him. He was nowhere to be seen. Putting her bare feet down, she sauntered toward the washroom and got it void. She deflated and whirled. He was standing behind her. His tie was still undone around it. " Good morning. " She whispered.
" Morning, " He paused and gazed at her, " Your brother and your friend are coming to stay with us for some days. " He said.
That got her full attention. Her eyes were staring at him, blindingly as she was doubting what she had heard, " I don't want that. " She told him.
He paced slowly at her, " You should give him one chance. He's your brother. " He said.
" Will you forgive your brother? " She retorted.
He was towering over her and made eye contact with her, " I've already had. I've you. " He said to her.
She was debating, should she be happy and it was another alarm of another danger, " I'll take it as a compliment." She blurted out and instantly repented over it.
He broadly smiled, " It is a compliment, love. " His smile never left his lips
She wanted to bounce in exhilaration. But she deterred herself but could not rein her gleeful smile, " Why are you doing this? " She timidly asked him.
He brushed the back of his fingers on her cheek, " I want you on the dining table after twenty minutes. " He said and stepped back. Nodding her head, she sauntered toward the washroom.
After shower, when she stepped in the room. Light electric blue gown was lying on the mattress and another beautiful white pearl necklace. She donned her dress hurriedly as she was also keeping her eyes on the clock. She did her makeup and rushed at the closet. She picked up Aldo heels of the same light electric color. She closed the door behind her and rushed to the hall. She was careful to take her every step.
Lana was in black gown and her hair was in a tight bun. She was preparing for the breakfast, " Good morning, Lana. " She said
Lana winced and turned. " Oh my God! Am I dreaming? " she pinched herself. She glanced down at her wrist, " It's not even seven o'clock. " She shouted in astonish.
" You are not dreaming. " She gave a small smile.
" Um, good morning. I didn't expect you at this time. " Lana giggled.
" Nor me. Where are others? " She asked, nervously looking back..
" They are in office. Go and ask them to come. Breakfast is ready." Lana told her.
She didn't know the way. She didn't get much time to explore the house. She got up late and merely got familiar with the way of her room, kitchen, backyard, lawn and garage. She randomly took strides where she had seen Ethan going after dinner.
She was haphazardly moving in the corridor. She could hear Ethan and Michail talking. She saw his men in suits standing out of a door, including Mark. She strode at that side. When she saw Mark going inside the room, she understood it, he had been informed about her presence. When she reached the door. Both men were in black suits and their strides were at her direction
" Lucky to see you Mia at this time of morning. " Michail smiled.
" Good morning. " She smiled back.
Michail nodded with a huge smile and left them alone in the study. It wasn't looking like any office. It looked like her gigantic library.
She could hear his footsteps echoing in the hall and moving at her. Her heart was thudding loud in her chest with his every step. She kept her eyes on the book selves, neglecting him which was almost impossible for her. She was taking small steps back and he was moving ahead with long strides. His crawling hand on her waist compelled her to look at him. He moved his eyes on her. His smile was explaining he liked his choice on her, " Adorable, " He whispered and pecked on her cheek, " Come let me show you What did you miss every morning. " He told her and made her walk along with him. He was walking the opposite direction from where she came.
She was glancing at his hand that her hand was securely in his grip.
' Don't get excited. There's no love between us. You are just a replacement for him. How can you expect love from him? He had told me, I'm just his responsibility. ' she told herself.
Her such thoughts wrecked her heart. She was not ready to believe the way he cared for her.
' If you can't love someone you can't care for him either. '
Tears slipped down her cheeks. Before he could turn and see her, she wiped them away and smiled. He took her near the balcony. He turned at her. She gave him her confusing look.
He stood behind her and guided her near the banister. He put his hands on the railing and titled his head near her ear, " Follow my gaze, love. " He sweetly asked her. .
She smiled at his sweet tone, not in a mocking way. She followed his sight and halted at the horizon. She could see pink and orange shade, " Sunrise. " She whispered.
" When did you see it last time ? " He asked in a whisper. She was feeling his breath on the crook of her neck. She glanced at him and his face was inches away from him.
She glanced back at the sky, " With my parents, perhaps. I don't remember. " She admitted it. She felt her throat choked. A tear trickled down her face and fell on his back of hand.
He immediately turned her, " Hey! I did this to make you smile, not this. " He said with concern.
She wanted him to stop all this. She knew the pain when you loved someone and they left you one day, mourning over them with a lot of memories which haunted you the whole day and night and made life more miserable than death. She was at the brick to erupt to tell him to stay away from her.
She wasn't suspecting it but was assured she couldn't live without him. If words erupted from her lips, it would take him away and it would kill her next. She tried to pull her hand and tried to run away from him. He caged her putting his arms around, " Don't do this. It will hurt me in future. No one stays in your life permanently. They left me. You'll also leave me one day. After all, I'm just a replacement. '' her voice was cracking while she could not stop her tears it was continuously trailing down her cheeks.
His smile morphed into one of hurt, as they were old lovers. He cupped her face. She could see he was fighting with his anger, " Mia, stop assuming it. You are my wife. I've told you before, after our wedding the next day. Why are you not listening to me? " He asked, leaning forward.
" Because, I'm just your wife. " She blurted out and couldn't believe she had just told him. Which was hurting from her many days since the day she had seen him.
He seemed taken back with her words, his hands slipped from cheeks and with a great astonishment he was staring at her.
She took one step back, moving away from him. She turned to move away from him. She didn't want to feel him around, it was just hurting her that she'd lost him one day. She had walked a bit further when he held her wrist and pushed her to his chest, " Say it. " He demanded.
She couldn't utter anything in shock and was staring at him. How could he expect her to say anything so easily to him with his menacing voice? She had seen him with Kattie and he did not use such a tone. " Leave my hand. " She said, pushing him away.
" I didn't see anything! I didn't see anything! " Lana came from behind covering her eyes with her both hands, " We are waiting for you. After breakfast you love birds can spend the entire day together. " Lana smirked, still covering her eyes.
She swiped her hands on her cheeks and smiled. She walked back from his touch. He did not try to stop her, " Lana you can open your eyes. " She said smilingly. Her cheeks turned red knowing what Lana was thinking.
" We don't wanna lose the opportunity to have breakfast with you. " Lana held her arm and tugged her with her, " Ethan, ain't you hungry? " She almost said loudly.
She gazed back at him. He wordlessly was staring at her.
Was it too bad to expect love from him? She thought.
' Why can't he be the reason behind my smile? Am I too bad? Then why did he marry me? Of course to fulfill her father's wish to get his share. '