Chapter 3
Grace looked at the clock in the living room and then quickly went to change into something more fancy. Today, Alessandro was going to return from Sicily and Grace had decided to cook his favorite dishes for him.
They have a chef for everyday cooking, but tonight Grace had decided to give him the day off and made the preparations herself.
She wanted tonight to be perfect. No! She needed tonight to be perfect! So that it gives her enough courage to tell him about her pregnancy. Even thinking about saying those words have been giving her nightmares and anxiety from the last few days.
She wanted him to be happy, because she was happy! Happy that they were going to be a family now! Though, that was another thing that had been laying heavily on her mind, his family!
While, she had lived with Alessandro for almost a year now in this apartment, she had always paid for her own stuff, because she refused to be a man's kept woman.
'Unless it's your husband who is taking care of you!' Her brain remarked snidely. A remarked that gave birth to a thousand different thoughts and worries. 'Will Alessandro propose marriage, when he realizes that she was going to be the mother of his child?' or 'will they continue to live like this, as their family grows?'
In reality, the former option seemed very far fetched. She couldn't imagine Alessandro proposing to her, not now when he had never even said that he loves her! And while she didn't want to be an unmarried mother, she will have to accept the fact that Alessandro might not be ready for that step yet.
She wondered what his aristocratic Italian relatives will say, when they will find out that he has a child out of wedlock? She knew, that it was still a very big deal back in Sicily, especially in a aristocratic family like his! And not in a nice way.
'Will they treat her child differently, because she and Alessandro aren't married?' She hoped not because that will break her heart.
She had called her father last night in Texas and he had blown up on her, when she had given him her news – that she was going to have a baby.
He had been furious with her and it had only increased Grace's trepidation. She didn't want Alessandro to be angry with her. She wanted him to be happy. Even if the conception of this baby had been an accident, it had been one of the most pleasing accidents of her life.
Alessandro had called to let her know that he would be home by seven in the evening and Grace's heart had skipped a beat by just listening to his voice. "I will be waiting for you Sandro..." She had whispered.
"Well, when I get back I have something important to discuss with you." He had told her in a very tight voice, but she had ignored that like all the other red flags she had been getting from the last month or so. Her heart dancing on the tune of love as she made all the preparations for their special dinner tonight.
She had spent all afternoon cooking, his favourites, a traditional Bruschetta as appetizer, Shrimp scampi and Chicken cacciatora as the main course and a big Tiramisu pie for dessert.
She had just put on the black dress, that he had always said looked great on her and was brushing her hair when she heard the main door opening outside, before it was shut close again.
A few moments more and suddenly he appeared in front of her in all his handsome glory. "Sandro...." She wanted to hug him, but something stopped her from throwing herself at him. Maybe, it was the ice cold expression on his face or maybe it was his dark fathomless eyes but whatever it was....grace found it as an inescapable barrier between the two of them.
"I-I have dinner ready...." She chose to say something totally mundane instead and hightailed out of there after he gave her a lukewarm reply. "I will be there in a few moments, just let me freshen up!"
This was perhaps the most tense and awkward dinner she ever had in her life! He sat a mile apart from her, on the other end of the giant dinning table, while she cowered in the other corner playing with the food on her plate.
'I-I am pregnant with your child Sandro!' She had repeated those words a hundred times in her head and yet now that the man was sitting I front of her on the dinning table, eating the food she had prepared for him so painstakingly, the words just wouldn't come!
She looked longingly at the glass of red wine kept beside her plate and wished she could just take a gulp or two, to get some liquid courage if nothing else. But opted for the cool glass of water instead to wet her parched throat.
She and Alessandro had been in a relationship for almost a year now. She shouldn't be this nervous in front of him. And yet her handsome billionaire had this magnetic effect that sometimes leaves her tongue tied.
"Sandro..we-we need to talk." She said instead. Her eyes lowered at her plate but she was fully aware that for some reason he was just as tensed as she was. 'Had he already guessed?' she noticed that he had barely touched anything on his plate.
He nodded. "You are right we need to talk! We can't go on like this anymore!" He suddenly stood up. His spoon fell with a clank on the plate full of uneaten chicken and Bruschetta.
Grace's brows furrowed in confusion. 'What was he talking about?' She looked up only to find his face inscrutable, his eyes completely blank as they looked into hers.
"I am getting married next month!" His tanned face had gone stoically cold.
"Wh-Who?" The words left her mouth even before she knew what she was saying.
"To Francesca Rossi, the daughter of a business partner….I hope you will understand that our liaison must come to an end now." Again there was no expression on his face, as if they were just talking about the weather. His face was wooden, his eyes vacant.
"Sa…ndro? How coul-d you do thi-this to me?" She was trying to get some air inside of her but failing completely.
Grace couldn't breathe. God! She couldn't breathe!
"You need not worry about it though." He said a moment later, casually as if he needed to reassure the dying party that they were going to be at a better place now.
"No?" Was he serious? Was he fucking serious right now, that she need not worry, just after he had told her that he was getting married some other woman!
"Of course not….I won't be leaving you high and dry of course. You can keep this apartment as a parting gift and the beach house in Malibu, I remembered you liked that location….I have already asked my assistant to prepare the deeds to change it to your name."
And suddenly Grace wanted to die!