Unfaithful: Web Of Betrayal

Coming in and out of Ludus was not an awkward thing to do anymore. She didn’t need to ask permission to go up to his studio or even his apartment. She followed the sound of music that led her to the painting room. She pushed the door gently and peeked to see him fully immersed in his work.

He had his back against her, shirtless, and barefooted. The sight of him made her feel at ease. He was a place she could go to whenever she needed comfort. The way Declan insisted on doing the IVF struck a nerve with her, she thought she had made up her mind about it, but the phone call she just had said otherwise. Everything seemed more complicated when it comes to Declan, but with Roman … it was simple. He was just there, and he made her feel good.

She leaned her head on the doorway admiring him from the back. She realized she didn’t have much opportunity to do that. She didn’t want him to have the upper hand if he knew just how much she was smitten by him. She cleared her throat.

He looked over her shoulder. A brush hung between his teeth, he let go of it and it fell to his hand. “Hey … beautiful … you came early?”

Even the way he greeted her made her all fuzzy inside. She smiled. “Yeah … I’m done for the day … I thought I’d come here … go on, don’t mind me.”

He didn’t reply. He continued his painting. She walked over to a chair by the window and sat in silence. What Declan said still conflicting in her mind, she looked out the window and watched cars go by. Knowing that Roman was in that room with her somehow made everything better.© 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.

He sensed her unusual quietness. He let it linger for a while as he did his final strokes on the painting he’d been working on for months. Something was troubling her, and it couldn’t be far from the source of all her troubles.

“What did he do now?” it took a lot for him to ask, Declan was not his favorite topic. If it were up to him, he’d never want to talk about that guy ever, but he wanted to ease her mind. The only way he can make her feel better was to let her talk about ‘him’.

“Hmm?” she was taken away from her thoughts. “He called … he’s coming home in a few days.”

Roman raised a brow lazily, “And?”

“He wants me to make that appointment at the clinic … counseling for IVF.”

He stopped his strokes for a second, “Did you agree to it?”

She sighed, “No … I told him I didn’t want to go through with it … but he said … we have to.”

His expression turned bleak, he didn’t say anything, he kept painting.

“You know … I remember going to the gynecologist and saw those pregnant women in the waiting room … I thought … one day, it’s gonna be my turn,” she sighed with a sad smile, “That day hadn’t come yet … at this point, I’m not so sure it will ever come for me.” She glanced at Roman, he didn’t react, he kept his eyes on his painting, but she knew he was listening. “Do you want children?”

The question struck him. He stopped what he was doing and looked at Olivia. “I do … someday.”

Olivia clasped his hands together and squeezed, she shrugged nervously. “Well … you should make sure to be with someone who can give you that …”

Roman put down his painting tools and walked over to her. He sat to face her and rested his head on one hand, “You asked the wrong question.” He tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear, “You should’ve asked me if I wanted to be with you even if children are not in our future.”

She looked at him intrigued by what he had to say next.

“I want you … in my future … whatever comes with it, I’ll take it … the absence of children will not reduce the kind of life I want to share with you.”

She devoured his words and let them sink in. They stared at each other in silence. She wanted to believe him so much, her feelings for him were growing and it didn’t feel like it was going to go away.

“But if you go home and start making plans with your husband … it’s all over for me … I don’t think that’s what you want either, is it?”

It was the first time she was faced with the possibility of losing him. She wanted to scream ‘No’, he can’t leave her, he was the reason why her days were more exciting, the reason why she looked forward to going to work every day. He was her happy place. To be a mother was everything she always wanted, but to plan a family with Declan became something she was willing to give up for the chance to be with this man.

She leaned over and kissed him. Her lips gently touched his. She felt the hairs on her arms stand up, she had forgotten how he felt on her lips and as it all was coming back to her, it remind her of how much he felt at home. It didn’t feel strange to kiss ‘another man’ because he wasn’t ‘another man’, he was Roman.

He responded to the kiss, he’d been waiting for it forever. He didn’t want it to be over, he kept chasing her lips as she broke away and so they kept going … and going … and going … until she laughed at his effort and put her hands on his chest to stop him. It was official, she thought. If they were both single, this would make the start of a relationship. Given her status … this was the start of their affair.

She had to say something, she thought. She had to explain what they were doing. He was silent. There was nothing coming out of his mouth, he just wanted to kiss her again.

“Roman … if we’re going to do this … you have to understand … no one can know about this.”

He raised his brows, “IF? What are you talking about? We’ve been doing this for a while … you just never acknowledge it.” He took her hand, “Are we doing this?”

She hesitated, “I think you know by now … I fell in love with you and I don’t know what to do …”

She said it. The words he’d been wanting to hear. He pulled her close and kissed her forehead, “That’s enough for me right now.” He pressed his forehead against her, “That’s so brave of you to say … I know it scares you … it scares me too … but I love you,” he kissed her hand, “I’d do anything to be with you.”

Her heart was throbbing underneath her rib cage. It was the scariest thing she had ever said to anyone. She always thought she was a strong woman who knows what she was doing all the time. But that moment was an exception. Between the love she had for this man who had just entered her life and the future she had built with her husband of 15 years, Olivia had no clue where her life was leading to.

“Don’t leave … please stay … I want to celebrate this … it’s an important day for me,” Roman pleaded and wrapped his arms around her.

She let go of herself in his embrace, she didn’t want to leave either. “What do you want to do?”

They looked at each other. He knew she wasn’t ready for what he had in mind, and he smiled. “Whatever you want,” he said. “Just don’t go.” He wanted to be with her as a couple, even if it was only for a short while.

She tightened his arms around her and leaned her head to his chin. She felt his warmth and his wet kiss on her cheek. She smiled.