UNHOLY DESIRE

DEIRDRE

After a long, soothing soak in the bathroom, I emerged. I had to admit, despite my initial reluctance, that Matteo’s penthouse was on par, if not better, than a five-star hotel. The room prepared for me was far beyond my means, even if I emptied my savings to afford it. But I wasn’t swayed by such extravagance. All I ever wanted was to provide Kendall with the best life.

As I wrapped my hair in a large brown towel and secured another around my waist, I approached the wardrobe. However, upon opening it, I found nothing suitable to wear. My brows furrowed in confusion. The wardrobe was predominantly filled with lingerie. Hadn’t Matteo mentioned that Mrs. Smith had gone shopping for me? Or had she not?

I pondered if Matteo had done this on purpose, glaring at my now-soaked and ruined outfit on the floor. I couldn’t wear it, but staying in the towel for too long wasn’t an option either.

The door swung open, and my attention snapped towards it. My eyes widened as Matteo entered, accompanied by Kendall, who was in the company of Mrs. Smith.

Without hesitation, I rushed forward, forgetting I was in only a towel, and took Kendall from Mrs. Smith, who handed her over to me before exiting the room.

“Hi, Mama,” Kendall said, looking at me with uncertainty. Her gaze then shifted to Matteo, who was observing me intently.

“How are you, pumpkin? Did you miss me?” I asked, playfully ruffling her hair.

She nodded. “I missed you so much, and I cried. You left,” she pouted.

“I’ll never leave you,” I murmured, hugging her tightly, eliciting a giggle from her.

“Mummy, Kendall is hungry,” she patted her stomach. “She wants food.”

“Let me finish up here, and I’ll prepare something nice for you,” I assured her.

“You don’t have to,” Matteo grunted.

I turned to look at him, my brows raised. “What do you mean?”

“Mrs. Smith will take care of that,” he said, pulling out his phone and dialing her number.

After calling to request her presence, Mrs. Smith arrived shortly thereafter and took Kendall, who seemed reluctant to leave with her.

“It’ll be fine. I’ll join you later,” I assured her. She seemed reassured by my words.

As soon as they left, I turned to Matteo. “You agreed that I would be Kendall’s mother. Are you going back on your word now?”

Matteo stepped towards me, adjusting the tie around his neck. It was the first time since he arrived that I noticed he was dressed so formally, which left me wondering where he was going.

He wore a deep, smoky charcoal two-piece suit. The jacket, snug as a second skin, hugged the curves of his strong frame, embracing his broad shoulders and tapering to a tempting V-shape at his waist. The trousers were impeccably tailored, cascading gracefully over his legs.

It wasn’t my first time seeing him in a suit, and it certainly wouldn’t be the last. Every time he wore one, he managed to make it look even more enticing than the last.

“I am her father, so I have the right to have a say in who feeds her,” Matteo stated, pulling my attention back to his face. His eyes briefly flashed with anger, leaving me to wonder what had triggered it.

I sighed. “You said you told Mrs. Smith to go shopping for me, but I see nothing of the sort in the wardrobe

“I did ask her to keep the clothes for now because I didn’t want you to leave, but that’s not the main issue here,” he explained.

“What do you mean it’s not important? I’m practically naked!” I protested.

“I’m your husband, Deirdre, and I don’t care if you’re dressed or not. You belong in my bed. Besides, what did you tell Kendall?”

“So much for trying to give this a chance. I thought you had changed,” I glared at him, attempting to step away, but Matteo pulled me back.

He nudged me against the wall, placing his hands above my head. “Tell me, Deirdre, before I do something we’ll both regret. What did you say to the child?”

Matteo was furious. I recognized his fiery anger, something I had always avoided during my time with him. I had witnessed him become violent and act aggressively in this state. Though he had never hurt me as he had others, he still frightened me.

“Deirdre!” He bellowed, making me flinch.

“I don’t understand what’s going on, Matteo. I only asked for some proper clothes,” my voice trembled. I hated feeling so small. I usually tried to sound strong, but with Matteo, it rarely happened.

“How can you be so cruel, Deirdre? I know you hate me, and I’ve done my best to make you happy. How can you turn my child against me?” Matteo’s voice was filled with frustration.

“I’m confused, Matteo. If you don’t tell me what’s going on, how am I going to know? I’m not a magician to guess it!” I exclaimed.

Matteo stepped away from me, his back turned. “She called me a monster.”

“What?” I stuttered, my eyes widening in disbelief. Perhaps I hadn’t heard him right.

“Yes, Deirdre. She called me a monster and only God knows what you’ve said to her about me,” he said, his tone heavy with accusation.

“Kendall would never say that!” I defended, glaring at him.

“Are you saying I’m lying about her? Would I stoop so low to do that?” he asked.

He wouldn’t. He had seemed genuinely interested in getting to know her. Even though I wouldn’t want to admit it, Matteo was great with children. I had seen him interact with some, which had led me to believe he would fully accept my pregnancy after learning about it.

“Matteo,” I breathed out, attempting to quell the tension in the air. “Although I don’t understand what’s going on or what might have prompted it, she’s a child. She could have picked up a sentence or two…”

“From you, Deirdre,” Matteo said firmly. “She picked up all those words from you.”

I scoffed, about to retort that I would never say such in front of her, but he turned on his heels and left the room.

“And he left me without clothes. What’s wrong with him?” I groaned, plopping onto the bed.

I stood up again, walking towards the wardrobe, but found nothing of relevance except for a tank top and denim shorts, which was better than wearing just a bra and panties around the house.

A while later, I stepped into the living room to see Kendall in a high chair, happily munching on a mini veggie quesadilla. A bowl of yogurt parfait with berries sat next to it.

Mrs. Smith stood up, approaching me. “I never thought she would enjoy it.”

I nodded, smiling. “Thank you.”

“It’s nothing,” Mrs. Smith waved me off. “And I’m sorry about your outfit,” she grimaced.

“I’ll manage,” I assured her.Copyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.

She nodded, stepping away, and I squatted in front of Kendall.

“Eat, mama,” she said.

“You should,” I muttered, my mind drifting back to what Matteo had said. I wondered if it was appropriate for me to ask her if she had indeed called him a monster or not. Yet, I believed it might sound somewhat silly.

I guessed Matteo needed some time to cool off. A three-year-old mentioning a ‘monster’, which might have meant something else entirely, shouldn’t have upset him so much. Or maybe I was the one being insensitive.

I sighed, smiling at Kendall as she placed a spoon filled with yogurt parfait and berries in front of me. I accepted it, ruffling her hair.

“Yum,” I beamed.

“Mummy loves it,” she giggled.

“I do,” I said, my thoughts returning to Matteo for the second time.