Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 73250 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 366(@200wpm)___ 293(@250wpm)___ 244(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73250 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 366(@200wpm)___ 293(@250wpm)___ 244(@300wpm)
I knew from personal experience that the elder Vero sister was a live wire. A single spark was all it would take this bomb to explode. I could tell she wanted to sink her teeth into me and feast on my flesh until there was nothing left because bad blood often spoiled. Vincenza, however, knew not to test me. I had already taken a parent from her and if she wasn’t careful, her sister would meet the very same fate.
“Fine,” she uttered, walking back a step. Her sudden change of demeanor had me suspicious. “Just a little reminder… before she became a Scala, she was a Vero, and she’ll always be my sister.”
I watched her closely as she left and after she was gone, something about the interaction felt wrong. Somewhere under her ire, I saw another emotion linger.
Elation.
And that was concerning whether I found Vincenza to be a threat or not.
Chapter 12
Observation
Ettore
My cellphone was glued to my hand.
Vittoria was quickly becoming my favorite reality show and I was man enough to admit I had sunk all the way down into obsession. I watched her every chance I got. Between work and the kids, I did not have a lot of free time, and yet, I found a way to watch my wife go about her days. I itched to be close to her and, sadly, this was the only way how.
Could I have made the time to visit?
Of course, but the strength it would take to leave her again was more than I had in me. So, I merely observed.
It was four weeks in and she still hadn’t yet learned she was being watched. The first ten days were touch and go. She didn’t do much more than walk from room-to-room in a stupor, fighting her depression. I expected this to go on a while, but by day twelve, she surprised me.
She woke, threw off the covers and staggered into the bathroom. I switched cameras and watched as she placed her hands on the edge of the sink, looked hard at her own reflection and frown deeply. Even with the puffy eyes and knotted hair, she was still the most beautiful creature to have ever walked the earth. With a shake of her head, as if she were disappointed in herself, she began to undress. My brows narrowed when she stood naked, glancing at her own reflection.
It had been less a month but the stress had an obvious effect on her body.
Her soft curves had become far more delicate. Her stomach dipped inwards and just underneath her small breasts, there was a bump on either side which I quickly realized was the tops of her ribcage protruding.
I didn’t like what I saw, but then again, neither did she. Vittoria’s lips thinned as she took in a deep breath then exhaled slowly. She stepped towards the shower, turned the knobs inside and then, a sound of annoyance left me as steam filled the room and it became harder to see.
Some would say it was morally wrong to witness my captive wife shower, especially when she didn’t know she was being watched, but I did not give a solid fuck. She’d already attempted to kill herself once before. How was I to know she wouldn’t try that shit again?
She was mine and I protected my own.
On day thirteen, Vittoria started a routine. She showered in the morning, dressed from the clothes I had bought for her, ate a small breakfast, then picked up a book ‘til lunch. She chose either an apple or banana for lunch, then changed into something looser, moving to the living area where she turned on the smart TV and accessed an online yoga class. She spent the next forty-five minutes bending and stretching in ways that made my pants feel oddly tight around the crotch. After yoga, she watched a little television followed by her daily exploration of the house. By five p.m. she had cooked herself dinner. Tonight, her menu was spaghetti aglio e olio with freshly grated parmesan over the top.
It was only the day before that Vittoria discovered the smart fridge in the kitchen allowed her to add items to the shopping list. It pleased me that she was using it. The newest additions on it were tomatoes, cucumbers, sourdough bread and triple chocolate ice cream. And it was a good thing too. I enjoyed watching her eat.
By day seventeen, she was looking more herself and as she fell back into her own personality, I got to witness it for the very first time. Especially when, after a mug slipped from her hand into the sink and broke, she jumped back and said, “Eeek.”
She actually said it. She didn’t make a sound of fright. She fucking said it.
“Eeek.”
Can you imagine?
Yeesh.
It seemed more and more unlikely that this woman was the poised assassin she made herself out to be. Even less likely when, on day twenty, I sat back in my office chair as she stared out of the bedroom window, into the backyard. With a determined look of concentration on her face, she crossed her arms over her chest and stood there, still as a statue. Although it didn’t show on film, I knew what she was focused on. She glanced out at the immaculate pool and made a thoughtful sound.