by Marian Tee
“Anneke.” His voice was ragged.
“Because if you had,” she choked out, “then I could’ve loved you sooner, and I could’ve shared your pain---”
His arms snapped close around her. “Dio.” His own eyes squeezed closed as the full import of her words struck him, and Dio, how they humbled him. Looking down at her, he cupped her face, and his chest tightened at the way her tears were rolling down her face.
Her tears were for him, but this time he understood it was not out of pity.
This time, he understood it was because --- his dream had come true.
She accepted him inside and out.
And she loved him despite everything.
“I’d never have asked for a divorce,” she whispered painfully, “if I had known---”
He laughed hoarsely. “I’d never have granted you one. I’d always have figured a way to keep you from winning.”
“And y-yet---” Her voice wobbled. “Last night, you looked like you were willing to give me up.”
“Only because I didn’t think you could ever accept me, bambina. Only that,” he swore fiercely.
“And n-now?”
His chest heaved just before Marcus asked hoarsely, “Could you forgive me for what I did?”
When she shook her head, his heart stopped, but then she raised herself up on her toes, covering his mouth with hers---
“You have more than my forgiveness,” she whispered tremulously against his lips. “You have me. All of me. Because I love you---”
The rest of her words disappeared into his desperate kiss, and she kissed him back just as desperately even as more tears ran down her face.
Finally.
Finally.
Finally.
He carried her to the room at the end of the hall and went straight to the bed, his hands shaking as he laid her down. She was so damn precious to him. So damn precious, and for one moment he was consumed by fear.
What if she regretted this?
What if she still left him?
What if---
“Marcus.”
He exhaled sharply, her soft voice breaking into his terror-stained reverie, and he found himself looking down into her trusting blue eyes. They had been beautiful when she was nineteen, but now those eyes of hers had been made breathtaking by the sheer depth of her love…for him.
The knowledge broke him, and lowering his body to cover hers, he kissed her, using his lips to convey the words that he didn’t yet feel he deserved to speak out loud.
Ti amo. I love you.
Ti amo, mia moglie. I love you, my wife.
Her arms wrapped tightly around his neck, and almost as if she had heard the words of his heart, she whispered against his lips, “I love you, Marcus.” He lifted his head, and she smiled shakily up at him. “And now for what I want to ask of you - don’t you think it’s time to claim your wife?”
Dark eyes burned down at hers. “Si.” It was just one word, but it had everything: love, tenderness, possessiveness, and a promise that he, too, was hers to claim.
There were no words after that, Anneke surrendering herself completely to his dominion as Marcus made swift work of their clothes. Soon, their bodies were naked against each other, and she moaned, loving the feel of their bare skin coming into contact.
It seemed as if she had been waiting for this her entire life, and a part of her still couldn’t believe that it was finally – finally – happening.
Marcus began to worship her entire body from head to toe, raining kisses over her face, sucking on her neck, devouring her breasts. All she could do was writhe and moan under him, wishing the torture would end but at the same time wishing it would last forever.
She buckled hard against him when he slung her legs over his shoulders and his mouth reached her pussy.
Marcus. Marcus. Marcus.
She couldn’t stop chanting his name as he devoured her most intimate flesh, and with every thrust of his tongue, her folds became slicker and creamier. His fingers found her swollen nub, and she gasped. His fingers started stroking the swollen flesh, and she gasped again---
And then she couldn’t stop gasping, her orgasm suddenly taking over her body.
“Marcus!”
This time, it really was too much, and as her body shook with the strength of her orgasm, she tried pushing him away, no longer able to bear the relentlessly plunging motions of his tongue.
But instead of acquiescing and letting her catch her breath Marcus only withdrew---
When he came back down a moment later, it was his long, thick, hard cock replacing his mouth.
“M-Marcus!” Shock turned her rigid as Anneke finally felt his cock plunge all the way inside of her.
And when his cock broke through the barrier of her virginity, she stiffened even more, her fingers digging deep into the panes of his back.
His dark eyes glittered down at her.
Finalmente.
She knew exactly what he meant, and she felt exactly the same.
Finally.
Closing her eyes, she pulled him closer to him, welcoming the entirety of his weight. Burrowing her face in the crook of his neck, she whispered, “I’m yours, Marcus.”
The words had him jerking above her, and a whimper escaped Anneke at the feel of his cock moving inside of her pussy. It made her flesh stretch, in a painful-pleasurable kind of way, and she wanted more.
“Mia moglie.” The words came out in a low, driven groan. “Mia moglie.” The second time, the words were spoken more fiercely, more possessively.
And then he started to move.
Marcus was careful to keep his thrusts slow and steady, not wanting to cause her more pain than what she had already experienced after the loss of her virginity. Cold sweat beaded the edges of his face as he fought against the urge to drive deeper and faster – harder – into her, but instead of helping him hold on to his self-control, Anneke seemed hell-bent on making him lose it instead.
He felt her mouth moving up the side of her face and said warningly, “Anneke---”
Her tongue licked the curve of his ear.
Fuck.
His control snapped.
He began pounding into her, the way he wanted to, and when her mewling cries began to fill the room, he knew it was exactly what she wanted, too. The knowledge destroyed what little control he had left, and Marcus’ movements became even wilder.
He found himself flipping Anneke to her stomach and then driving his cock back into her from behind---
She arched with a long moan. “Too deep!”
His hands tightened around her waist. “No, bambina. It’s not deep enough.” And he proved it was so, this time plunging his cock all the way down.
Anneke screamed, her eyes rolling back when she felt the head of his cock knock against the wall of her womb.
She felt him withdrew---
And then it was happening all over again, his cock reaching her womb.
“Oh God, Marcus!”
Over and over, he pounded into her, so deep she found herself flat against the bed, holding to the edges so she wouldn’t slip off.
And it was good.
So good.
Too good.
Her stomach started to tighten, and she gasped, “I’m c-close!”
He responded by reaching around her body for her clit. He pinched it between his fingers---
“No!”
But he only responded to her protest by pinching her clit harder all the while shoving into her---
Anneke shattered.
A moment later, she heard him growl from behind, and then he, too, was coming, his sticky hot seed pouring into her, filling her, claiming her.
As her eyes closed, Anneke’s internal muscles contracted around his still-twitching cock, as if wanting to keep him joined with her.
Finalmente.
Finally.
Marcus woke up from another nightmare a few hours later, his naked body bathed in cold sweat. He sat up abrup
tly, the coldness inside of him spreading. She was gone. She was gone. She was gone. The terrifying words hammered his brain as he slowly turned to his side---
Anneke’s eyes fluttered open as she gradually sensed Marcus’ gaze on her. When she became fully awake, the first thing that became clear to her was the panic in his dark eyes – and it hurt.
She sat up right away. “Marcus?”
“I thought you were gone,” he said in a hollow voice.
Her heart lurched at his words, and she whispered, “Why would you think that?”
“I’m not certain.” He gazed at her, his dark eyes haunted. “I feel like I’m missing something, but I don’t know what it is. I only know it could make you leave me---”
“Nothing would make me leave you, Marcus.” She wrapped her arms around him. “I’m here. And I’ll always be here.”
Chapter Ten
The days that followed were pure perfection, with both Anneke and Marcus coming into an unspoken agreement to extend their stay in Bruin Hemel. It had become their haven of sorts, and a part of Anneke was scared that the moment they left everything would fall apart.
Marcus appeared to think so, too. While he still refused to speak of his nightmares, she could see in the way he would sometimes look at her that he still believed she would leave him.
She tried her best to show him it wasn’t so, loving him with the words and with everything else she could give him. Sometimes, it would work, the shadows in his gaze fading. But it was only for a moment, and then it would be back again, that haunted look in his eyes that told her Marcus was only waiting for the axe to fall.
She wished she could tell him he was being ridiculous, but she knew better than to do so.
Marcus had no idea that she could see past his façade and sense his quiet restlessness. If he found out she was worried about him, she knew that his overprotective side would only cause him to work harder in keeping his emotions to himself.
Maybe in time, his fears would subside, and he would realize that she wasn’t going anywhere.
She was his for life.
Or at least that was what she thought was true – until she received a call from Fredericka.
Every day had become a battle of fear for Marcus, a fight to keep terror from strangling him. Every morning he would wake up from a nightmare he couldn’t remember the details of. All he knew it had to do with losing her, and it would cause him to search for her---
And every day, she would be there, by his side, her eyes, her lips, her hands – even the way her heart beat – telling Marcus that she loved him, and she would never leave him.
He wanted to believe her.
He wished he could believe her.
But something was stopping him, and he just wished he could figure out what it was.
Whenever Marcus had to leave the house, the trip back home was hell, and today wasn’t any different. His hands were clammy as he tightened his grip on the flowers he had made a quick run to town for. It was a rare variety of tulips, notoriously hard to grow, and the instant Marcus learned about a local garden having grown it successfully, he knew he had to get some for his wife.
The billionaire’s chest tightened at the thought.
His wife.
Could he really think of Anneke as his wife now?
Fear continued to threaten to choke him from within. It made him feel foolish, but he couldn’t help it. When he opened the door to her bedroom, it was completely dark – like it always was.
She had taken to playing a game of hide-and-seek with him whenever he came back from a trip to town. Sometimes, she would be hiding behind the couch. Other times, she would be hiding under the writing desk, the balcony, behind the door.
But she would always be there, waiting to surprise him and welcome him with the loveliest smile and the loveliest words.
Welcome home, my love.
And today would be the same. He had to believe that.
Taking a deep breath, he said out loud, “Anneke?”
Silence answered him back, but this, too, was just like before.
For the first few minutes, Marcus tried looking for her in the dark, going through her usual hiding spots, one by one. But he still couldn’t find her, and he was finally forced to switch the lights open.
Her bedroom was completely empty, and a ball of icy fear began to grow inside of him.
“Anneke.” His voice was tight. “Come out.”
But there was still nothing.
He ran back down the stairs, and this time the butler was waiting for him below, a stoic look on the older man’s face.
“A letter for you, sir.”
Marcus’ fingers shook as he took the letter from the butler. He unfolded the paper, and there were only two words written on it.
I know.
Two words. Two simple words. Two painful words.
And just like that Marcus realized that thing he had felt was missing, what he had forgotten all along – until now. It was stupidity biting him in the ass, and it almost felt like the past mocking him for daring to want something he shouldn’t even have dared to dream of.
Was this all he deserved – a mere taste of love – before fate was to steal it away again, in punishment for all his sins?
Marcus carefully folded the letter again and placed it inside of his pocket.
Dio.
He had hurt her again, broken his word to her, and it didn’t matter that he hadn’t meant to do either.
She was truly gone now.
And he didn’t even want to go after her.
This was what he deserved, after everything he had done.
Chapter Eleven
After leaving Bruin Hemel in a hurry, Anneke flew to Contini and booked herself a hotel room, wanting to be alone with her pain. She didn’t want to go home and lick her wounds while her family worried about her. She had troubled them far too long already. She was a big girl now. She could and would solve things on her own, and in time she would be able to forget Marcus Ravelli.
In time.
It was on the second day of her stay when reception rang her room, saying she had a visitor. It was Raquel Ravelli, and it took her more than a moment to realize what that meant.
Marcus’ mother? Why was Marcus’ mother visiting her?
Her first instinct was to have the older woman turned away, but old habits died hard, and in this case, those habits had to do with good old manners. She gave reception the green light to let Raquel up, and soon enough, Anneke was welcoming her mother-in-law into her suite.
The woman was painfully thin, but she looked much better than Anneke had feared, and when Raquel caught her staring, Anneke turned red. “S-sorry---”
The older woman’s lips curved into a humorless smile. “What were you expecting? An aging sexpot with her boobs about to fall out?”
Anneke stammered, “N-no, of course not.” But actually, that was exactly what she had thought.
“A few months ago,” Raquel revealed thinly, “you wouldn’t have been mistaken.”
Oh.
Marcus’ mother gestured towards the settee. “Aren’t you going to invite me to sit?”
Her cheeks flushed. “I’m sorry, and yes, please. May I get you anything?”
“Whiskey, please.”
As Anneke prepared Raquel’s drink from the minibar, she heard the older woman say, “I called your place at Bruin Hemel earlier, but your staff told me you and Marcus had left the other day.”
“I s-see.”
“They were pretty tight-lipped about your whereabouts, so I had to use my son’s security team to look for you. I hope you don’t mind?”
Anneke only shook her head, pretending to busy herself as she prepared her own drink.
“Is Marcus coming back any time soon?”
After serving Raquel her drink, Anneke took the chair across the older woman, saying stiltedly, “I suppose he hasn’t told you yet, but---” She gulped down her drink in one go, and the liquid burni
ng down her throat gave her the strength she needed to voice out the truth. “Your son and I are done.”
“I s-see.” The glass in Raquel’s hand rattled hard.
Anneke was immediately concerned. “Are you alright?” She belatedly remembered Marcus’ voicemail mentioning his mother needing an operation following her OD, and her remorse grew. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to shock you about the news---”
“Is it because of our past?” Raquel forced herself to ask. “He told me he’d tell you the truth, and if this is what it’s all about---”
“No.” Anneke bit her lip hard. “I’m sorry I forced you to bring that up, but no. I can assure you it’s not about that at all, and I would – I would never leave him for that.” And unable to help it, she heard herself add bitterly, “I’m afraid our row is over something more common.”
“Common?” Raquel was visibly bewildered. “I don’t understand. You were everything to him---”
“Yes. I am.” The admission made her bitterness grow inside of her, and with it her pain. “I’m everything to him,” she choked out, “because his grandmother’s will left Marcus no choice. He made me think that he didn’t want to divorce me because he still loved me, but he had lied. The only reason he didn’t want me to go was because his grandmother’s will took a divorce out of the equation. He stood to lose everything with a divorce---”
Tears burned in her throat, but Anneke would be damned if she would shed another tear for a man who kept betraying her, over and over.
Looking at Raquel, she said dully, “That’s why he chose to lie to me instead.” Her head bowed, and for several moments, neither of them spoke. At first, Anneke believed it was because Raquel didn’t believe anything she had said until –
“I know you’re not lying.”
Anneke slowly looked up.
“I know that, but I can’t – I simply cannot make myself believe there isn’t more to it. The old Marcus could have done what you told me, but the Marcus you loved? The Marcus you changed so much that---” A tear tracked down her cheek, and Raquel wiped it off with a laugh that was half-painful, half-angry. “It’s been so long since I last cried, do you know that? And I don’t think I’d ever be like this again until---” Raquel’s thin body shook as she struggled to keep her emotions in check. “I know – I know you have no reason to believe me, but please. Please give my son a chance to explain. He may have lied about the other things, but he hadn’t lied about loving you.”
