Chapter-42

"Why did you leave?"

I ask.

I feel the adernaline in my body rising and feel myself sweating. I know I decided not to ask anything related to the past and focus on present. But I don't think I can ever move on from that night.

The night she left me without even saying anything.

With her in my arms, the way she is comforting me, all tells me that maybe she also have me somewhere in her heart. I don't want to cling to the thought that maybe she also feels the same way about me as I do without knowing why did she leave.

As I brace myself for her answer I see visible confusion on her face.

"What?"

She questions taken aback by my sudden query.

"Why did you leave me kuhu?"

I ask her again this time more firmly.

An array of emotions passes through her face.

Sadness

Pain

Longing

And finally anger.

"So what you expect me to stay after knowing everything?"

She asks me back spitefully.

I gulp hearing her answer. I knew her answer would be brutal and it will hurt .

But damn, I was not prepared for this. I thought maybe she would comfort me but nah.

"Didn't I deserve to see you before leaving atleast?"

I ask heartbroken.

Now she sighs

"Lorenzo, please after hiding such a big thing from me you expected me to make a fool out of myself by staying and questioning. It was not my place to question."

She says and gets up from my lap.

This now makes me angry.

She turns around to leave but I immediately get up and grab her hand.

She turns around and I say.

"Not your place to question?"

"It was your fucking right to question me."

"To yell at me, to fight me, to do anything you want to do. But not to leave like a coward."

"I I thought you were different may be you would understand my past."

I say finally unleashing my inner turmoil.

"Coward."

"I am a coward for not being your mistress. And what do you want me to understand that you are married, that you have a wife."

"I should be understanding?"

She points back to herself.

"Well news flash Lorenzo Accardo maybe you shouldn't be a man whore and be a one woman one."

She yells.

I stand there in confusion as she continues to speak.

"But who am I to give you speech. I am at fault too. Look at me being a whore for you. I may be didn't know about it in the past but now I know and still...

She inhales deeply. I see her eyes get glossy

"Still I am same. Melting at just your touch. Sitting in your lap and comforting you knowing I am the other women."

She says her voice cracking.

"One minute."

I say raising my finger.

"What are you talking about?

Married, mistress, whore."

Grabbing her by her shoulder I ask her.

"Kuhu, I am not married. You are the only women I have ever been with."

"What?"

She asks with a look of utter confusion on her face.

We both look at each other perplexed as we ponder on what the other person just said.

"Wait, wait, wait. You are saying that you are not married. But what about that girl, the photo I saw."

I inhale a deep breathe and then say

"Okay, you sit here."

I say and turn her around to make her sit on the chair while I kneel in front of her.

"Now tell me everything."

I tell her.

"That day at the amusement park. You and that girl were hugging. Then I saw your wedding picture."

"Amusement park?"

I mull over what she just said. Running my memory back to that day. Which girl?

"Oh, Moretti's daughter."

I say reminiscing.

"Kuhu, sweetheart."

"I am not married to her. That day she came to give me wedding invitation. She is married to someone else."

"But I saw your wedding picture. How is that possible?"

She questions.

"I don't know what you saw but I can assure you I am not married to her."

"Wait."

I pick up my phone and immediately dial Angleo's number.

He picks it up on the second ring.

"Yes, capo."

"Angleo immediately send me Moretti's daughter wedding pictures."

"Wedding pictures?"

He asks bewildered.

"Yes, wedding pictures. You know what they are right?"

I say mockingly.

"Yeah. But why what's the matter?"

"I'll tell you later on but for now somehow find the entire fucking album and send it to me right fucking now."

I say and hung up the call.

I look back at kuhu.

"I'll clear all your doubts about me and that girl. But know one thing that she is not my wife. For a matter of fact I am unmarried."

"And get one thing in that stupid skull of yours that if I ever get married it will be you wearing the wedding gown."

She gasps and gazes deep into my eyes.

She knows I mean business and am not joking. She then shyly looks at her hands.

"Sweetheart, tell me one thing. Why did you thought I was married?"

"Well, I saw her hugging you that day at the park and then a photo of both of you in wedding attire. And also your father...

She stops and looks down as if living the moment.

"My father what, sweetheart?"

"He he told me that you are married and that I am being a home wrecker."

Now it makes sense. Of course he did that. He would go to any means to make sure I am miserable.

I put my head down in her lap now knowing what he has done.

Just then my phone beeps. I look to see that angleo has done his work. I open the folder and all the wedding photos of Moretti's daughter pop up.

I hand over the phone to kuhu without saying anything. She takes the phone and immediately starts scrolling. She stops at one photo and bites her lip, a troubled expression on her face.

I look down to see that's a photo of me with the couple.

"I I saw this photo but he he wwas not in it."

She stutters pointing to the groom.

"Well that's the groom."

I reply back

She hands me the phone back and puts her head between her hands.

"But how is that possible? Why would your father lie to me? He he told me clearly."

"Kuhu"

I cup her face.

"I don't know how to explain this but my father and I are not on the best terms. If anything his main motto in life is to destroy my happiness."

She listens keenly to me and then asks remorsefully.

"Lorenzo, I destroyed it all. Didn't I?"

Her tears stream down her face.

"You should have come to me, baby. Why didn't you come?"

I ask.

The only question that haunts me is this. I don't care what happened or what was she told or what she did.

But I only want to know that did she not care enought to turn to me.

"I was sacred. I didn't want to be someone's mistress. I am not and never will be the other women. I wanted to ask plenty of times but was sacred of your answer, of the truth. What if all that was true and I was not what I thought myself to be in your life. Then your father's remarks made me take the decision of leaving you."

She sniffles.

"Kuhu, to be honest while I understand your trouble but a part of me will always be miffed at you for not even considering the option to talk about your feelings to me."

I say as I wipe her tears.

It fucking hurts knowing how gullible her tust over me was that a few false evidences would stir it up and break it.

"I am sorry, Lorenzo."

She says crying.

"I am sorry too, sweetheart. Maybe I should have been precarious and should have seen you suffering with all these misunderstandings."

I say and hug her.

She hugs me back tightly.

While the remorse and pain is still there but now there is a blooming happiness too that she didn't leave me because of my past.

And that she stills cares for me.

But this haunts me with the fact that sooner or later I would have to tell her about my past. A small misunderstanding made her leave me. Would she really understand when I'll tell her everything?

I ask myself this question and find myself suffocating.

I put my head into her neck and inhale her sweet smell.

Forget it all for now.

I'll worry about that later. All that matters is that she is now here with me.

Breaking the hug, I get up and pick her in my arms.

Carrying her to the bed, I lay her down and lay besides her. I pull her closer to me and shift her on top of me. She doesn't say anything just puts her arms around me.

I put my hand inside her top and gently run my hand up and down her bare back. While my other hand encircles her waist.

"My mistake ended it all Lorenzo."

She says

"No sweetheart. It's not over. You are here, I am here. That's all what matters. I can build our abode no matter what, condition being you are there with me."

I assure her and kiss her forehead.

She looks up at me with her tear striken face and says.

"I wish it was that easy but now I have a family of my own. It's not possible."

She says the bitter truth and I feel as if a knife as been plunged into my chest.

I have never felt so beaten in a night. Every time I fight a question and assure myself a new one arises, much difficult then the previous one.

I feel my eyes pricking.

Great, tears is what I needed right now.

I control them back and say

"Why didn't you wait for me?"

Atleast I need one question answered to be able to make it through. Too many have burdened me right now.

She donot say anything, just puts her face in my chest and weeps.

"I I am so so s sorry."

She says crying.

I feel a tear slipping through my eyes. I shut them tight. My throat has dried down, it's pricking.

I gulp before uttering.

"It's fine baby. I am here."

I don't know what will happen after this but a night with her in my arms is the only thing that can fix me right now. I have yearned too long for this.

And I am really tired.