SILENT DESIRES

Stepping out into the sunshine from the air-conditioned building, Tess asked herself where she could go. Looking up and down the busy street, she knew she wanted only to get away from the crush of people. An image of the grounds surrounding the Black villa rose in her mind like Valhalla to her ravaged state. She would take a taxi to the grounds and then when she was ready, she could walk home.

Having a plan of action helped calm her churning emotions enough to wipe her tears away and wave down a cab.

She had the driver drop her on the outskirts of the Black estate. Luckily, she remembered the code for the small gate in the far wall. She and Elena had used it once before on an afternoon walk.

Once inside the estate’s walls, she walked only far enough to hide herself in the trees, then sank to the ground. Her back resting against the trunk of one of them, she let the tears fall freely. It hurt so much.

Not only had she made a huge mistake in marrying Dash, but she was pregnant with his baby. No matter what she wanted from life, she was now inexorably linked to a man who had as much affection for her as the man on the moon. Less even.

The sobs came harder and she cried out her grief over the years of neglect in her father’s house followed by marriage to a man destined to treat her the same way.

A long while later, her mobile phone chirped. She had stopped crying, but had not moved from her place against the tree. She dug the phone from her purse. The display identified her caller.

Dash.

She didn’t want to talk to him. She wanted to shoot him, which didn’t say much for the gentle nature others were so convinced she possessed.

He had taken the joy of her discovery and turned it to ashes. His rotten attitude was tearing her apart and she knew that tonight there was no way she could lie with him in their bed and pretend nothing had happened. She could not bear the thought of being just a body and their baby meaning nothing to him.

The phone stopped ringing.

Ten minutes later it rang again. She refused to answer it. He kept calling and finally, she turned off the volume on the ringer.

She stood up and dusted off her skirt before starting the walk toward the villa. It took her twenty minutes because she didn’t rush in any way.

A maid saw her approach and went running inside. Seconds later, both Elena and Amy came rushing toward her.

Amy was babbling, much too fast for Tess to understand.

“Where have you been?” Elena asked.” Dash is worried sick about you. We all were. What happened to your phone? Why didn’t you answer? You’d better call him right away. He’s ready to call in the authorities.”

She couldn’t understand why a man who treated her the way her husband had would worry. Surely if she disappeared, he would be off the hook for a marriage he clearly no longer wanted. Then she remembered the baby. Maybe he cared more about their child than he had let on.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset anyone. I wanted to take a walk.” She said. Which was true as far as it went. “And I turned off the ringer on my phone.” Which was also true, but she neglected to mention she had turned off the ringer after Dash started calling.

“Why would you put your phone on silent?” Amy demanded.

Tess felt really badly for upsetting her mother-in-law so much, but she wasn’t about to tell her the truth. Her problems with Dash were private and she refused to visit them with the other women.

“You don’t even carry your phone with you,” she said instead.

Amy grimaced. “I also do not dismiss the driver and disappear for hours.” She said,

Tess looked at her watch and realized it had been three hours since she left Dash’s office and forty-five minutes since the first phone call. “Are you saying you never go shopping or for a walk where you can’t be reached?”

Amy’s hands rose in the air. “Ai, ai, ai. I see there is no reasoning with you.”

Tess said nothing. She didn’t want to hurt the older woman, but she couldn’t explain her actions without divulging her impasse with Dash.

“It is nothing more than a storm in a teacup. She went for a walk and time got away from her. Mamma, there is no need for you to keep carrying on.”Elena said.

“Tell your brother this.”

Elena grimaced. “No thank you.”

“There you see.” Amy crossed her arms and gave both Tess and Elena a baleful look.

The maid came out at that moment, a phone in her hand. “Mr Black wishes to speak to his wife.”

Tess looked at the phone with as much enthusiasm as she might feel for a plateful of spoiled fish.

“Tess?” Amy asked, her expression now concerned.

Tess put her hand out for the offending phone.

Amy stopped her from lifting it to her ear. “Every marriage goes through growing pains in the beginning, child. Do not be too hard on my son, whatever he has done. A woman must be strong enough to forgive.” she said.

Tess forced herself to smile and say, “Thank you.”

Her mother-in-law and Elena showed a great deal of tact by leaving her to speak to Dash in privacy.

She lifted the phone to her ear. “What?” she asked.

“That is no way to greet your husband.”

The censure infuriated her. “Go to hell, Dash.” She replied.

His indrawn breath told her he hadn’t liked hearing that. She didn’t care. Not anymore, she told herself. “I don’t want to talk to you.”RêAd lat𝙚St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only

His sigh was audible through the phone lines. “The driver said you dismissed him. How did you get home?” he asked.

“What do you care?”

“You were upset when you left my office.”

“And this surprises you?” she asked scathingly.

“No.” He sounded odd. “How did you get home?” he repeated.

“I took a cab and I went for a walk. I turned the ringer volume down on my mobile after you called. Any more questions?”

“No.” he replied.

“If that is all…” she said, reversing the roles they had played in his office.

Again the sigh. “I’m flying to Rome and will be gone overnight. I realize it is not the best time for me to leave, but it cannot be helped.” Dash said.

“Why are you bothering to tell me?” She stared across the swimming pool, her body aching from the pain filling her heart. “I’m just a body in your bed. I’m not your wife. You don’t even want our baby.” She was crying again and hated him for hearing the choking sobs she could not hide.

“Tess-” She hung up the phone before he could say whatever it was he had meant to say. All his words hurt her and she was so tired of being hurt.