Unfaithful: Web Of Betrayal

She sat on a stool in front of the canvas of a half-painted picture of her naked back. It was something Roman had been working on for weeks without a model. Just a very vivid memory of when they were together on the boat. A few passionate nights neither of them will ever forget.

Roman stood behind her holding her hand and the brush in her grip. He moved their hands together and did strokes on the canvas. If only she knew how special it was to be the one holding the brush. In his entire career, he never let anyone hold his brush, it was sacred. He never even let anyone look at his work, not when he was still working on it.

He pressed his face against her head, stealing kisses while his other arm was wrapped around her waist. He nibbled on her ear and tickled her with his prickly beard.

She wriggled then he’d brush his face on her bare shoulder. She laughed. He kissed her neck. The painting was never going to be done. He was too in love with the person he tried to paint.

“Have you told him?”

“Told him what?”

He looked at her sharply, he didn’t want to ask, but he was growing impatient.

She held his hand, “No … it’s not the right time.”Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

He raised his brows, “Is there a right time to tell him you want a divorce?”

She tilted her head to one side, hoping he would be more understanding of her position. “We’re celebrating his deal with your dad next week … can we at least wait until after the party?”

His eyes averted her stare for a split second. He’d been waiting forever to find her. He can wait another week. But he didn’t want her to think she could make him wait too long. He let out a long sigh.

“The party … that means we have to pretend we’re not in love with each other in front of the people closest to us?” he rested his hand on his waist.

“I’m guessing Selma’s going to be there too?”

He rolled his eyes, “I could go with you, but …”

She stood and looped her arms around his waist, resting her head on his warm broad chest where she could hear his heartbeat. “Give me more time … please … I’ll tell him next week after the party.”

His lips touched the top of her head, “Promise?”

She nodded. She had to ease his mind, at least. Although she was torn inside, she wasn’t sure about anything other than falling hard for this man she was embracing, but she had to give up everything she had to be with him. Everything.

“I love you,” he said quietly into her ear.

She wanted to say it back, she really did. But this is not what love is to her, hiding him from the world because she was ashamed of what people might think, because she didn’t want to have any problems with her husband and his family. It wasn’t fair for everyone, and that’s not what love suppose to do.

“I know you don’t want to say it now … but I do … I want to make plans with you. I want to be free to love you, and I can only hold on to this if you promise me that this will be over soon … I want to be free to make love to you. I want to roam the world with you, show you things you’ve never seen before … I want you all to myself.”

She tightened her embrace. She wanted the same things. It was easy with him. Everything flows effortlessly. But whenever she thinks about it, it brought tears to her eyes because of the life she had to leave behind, the other love she had that she can’t just dismiss like it meant nothing to her. Because it meant a lot, it was her life for 15 years. She trembled.

A knock on the door startled them. She lets go of him like a disease and stepped away. He stood calmly and watched as she did that, and she could see the hurt in his eyes.

“Yes?” Roman answered the knock from where he stood.

“Roman … your father is here to see you,” the manager’s voice muffled through the door. There was a pause, “And there’s a customer downstairs that asked to see you.”

“Tell them I’ll be right down,” he said.

“Okay, I’ll let them know … it’s the blue flame … he wanted to ask you about it.”

“Sure.”

Olivia was still recovering from the knock. She covered her mouth with one hand, trying to steady her breathing. She was relieved that his manager didn’t just burst through the door, more relieved that his dad didn’t do that either.

“You realize she probably knows about us by now, right?” Roman asked with a wicked smile.

She paused for a moment, “No … does she?”

Roman tilted his shoulder, he grabbed his shirt, and put it on, “I can’t think of another reason why she didn’t just let my dad come up here,” he had a point. “I’m going to see what he wants … will you still be here when I get back?”

She nodded, still nervous thinking about what the manager knew and didn’t know.

He curved his lips, and his blue eyes twinkled. Gorgeous. “Don’t stray away,” he joked.

**********

“Dad? What are you doing here?” he greeted Brian, who was looking at The Heart from the outside of the small room.

“Hey, Roman,” he tucked his hands in his pocket and shook his head a little. “I could never understand art … though I try,” he chuckled, “I was never artistic, not sensitive enough as your mother put it … this …” he pointed around him, “You’ve got this from somewhere … not from me … or your mother … I don’t think she can tell the difference between a picture and a painting either,” he laughed.

Roman tucked his hands in his pockets too. Who would’ve thought that body language was genetic? He just smiled, his parents never understood what he does or will they ever be.

“I’m just visiting … taking a tour to see what you’re doing … how are you?”

“I’m good, thanks for asking. You could’ve called … we could have a drink somewhere.”

“Oh … no … I don’t have that much time at the moment. I want to make sure you’re coming to the party next week … with your girlfriend,” Brian said, “Is she here, by the way?”

“Selma? No … but yeah … I’ll be there, she’ll be there too … it’s unusual for you to come all the way just to ask me that.”

Brian stood facing him with a serious expression, “Declan is out of town.”

Roman stared at him in confusion. He grimaced.

His dad let out a long sigh, “I hope you’re not enjoying his wife’s company too much … is she upstairs?”

Silence.

“He’s my business partner, Roman, a very important one … it would be frivolous to have his wife sleeping with my 28-year-old son.”

Roman shook his head with a smirk, “I’m not sleeping with Olivia … we’re business partners.” He lied.

Brian wasn’t convinced. He studied his son’s expression, “There’s nothing to gain from another man’s wife … remember that, that thing in that room,” he pointed to The Heart, “That’s the only thing you’ll achieve from expecting the love of another man’s woman.”

Roman didn’t respond. Denying it once was enough.

“Selma is a nice girl … maybe you should consider announcing your engagement with her at the party … and convince me that you’re not back to your old habit again.”

“What? We’re not getting engaged…”

“It doesn’t matter … you just need to announce it … and maybe learn to be with someone that’s more suitable … age-wise… and not taken?”

“Oh my God, I can’t believe you’re actually here to tell me that.”

“I invested a lot for all this. I was hoping you’d changed your ways in that department … do you remember the nightmare we all had to go through the first time?” he gripped his son’s arm. “He’s a very important person for my business at this moment, Roman, don’t ruin this for me.”

He bit his lower lip. How he wanted to tell his dad the truth, but he had to bite his tongue. “You got nothing to worry about, Dad. I’m not sleeping with his wife.”

Brian took it in for a moment then nodded. “Good … make the announcement at the party … okay? Let it be a celebration for you, too … you like this girl, right?”

He couldn’t tell him that she was not even his actual girlfriend. He avoided his father’s gaze and stayed silent.

“It’s about time to start thinking about your own family anyway … she’s a fine candidate, why not?”

“It doesn’t work that way,” he laughed in disbelief.

“Well, it has to … okay, Roman? If it’s the only way to keep her away from you … or you away from her …” Brian’s voice spiked.

Roman was stunned. Why was his dad so determined that he was having an affair with Olivia? Did he know something?

“Do you know what would happen if people know about you and Olivia? How would it affect my business with Declan? Do you even care?”

“I think you should leave, Dad,” he wasn’t going to have that argument in his gallery when people were still around.

“I need you to take this seriously, Roman, … this is not a game … Declan is a powerful man, well-respected family … if he finds out you’re messing with his wife, this could go bad for all of us.”

“Please … Dad, I need you to leave,” he kept his mouth shut.

Brian looked at his son for a moment, his stubborn and foolish son, “Fine … we’ll have this conversation another time … I was hoping you denied it, Roman, I was hoping you laughed about it when I mention her name.”

Brian shook his head. He was in shock by his son’s lack of denial. He was now convinced what he was afraid of was true.