✧

CLAUDIA

In recent years, Claudia has developed a love for the outdoors. It just so happened that being cooped up in a mansion was misery when she was afraid of being killed. Even though the house was large, it could be a nightmare at times.

Claudia decided to go for a ride, so she hopped in Dominic's car. She noticed his keys on the counter after he had left with one of his drivers. As long as she was on the road, she figured she was fine. If the Mafia wasn't following her, how would they know where she was going? Leaving his front door, she drove past the gate. She turned around and saw that nobody was following her. It was effortless to leave the house once Vinny previously checked the left side.

While listening to jazz, she drove at a slow and leisurely pace. She attempted to find her inner peace. When she braked, she felt it in her bones. Any moment she stopped, she was vulnerable. The last time she hyperventilated severely was probably then. She craved life. The notion haunted her like a ghost. Dominic was right next to that thought. She had insane dreams about life with him. Every now and then, a glimpse of the future would pop into her head. Both have family values, whether they're eating dinner with the kids or watching them play in the backyard.

These were meant to be optimistic thoughts of her ideal future. She sobbed because she feared they would die. She made a deal with a Mafia boss, so no one liked her. Who would defend her? Why should anyone care about a woman who was deceptive?

The second reality that shook her up was that she had to go back to the house. She was getting weary of the sunny drive. After being poisoned, she didn't want to go to the café where she felt unsafe. And she didn't want to go anywhere near her old apartment because she didn't want to bother her previous neighbors.

This made her go back to the empty house she had been trying to avoid. She couldn't tell when Dominic would come back, but she couldn't be cautious any longer. She was sure that if there was an emergency on his property, it would be easy for her to call the police.

Claudia started driving back to the mansion, and it didn't take long for her to get there. She got shivers once she noticed a Cadillac in the driveway. She knew Dominic was by himself because there were no other cars parked. So, hopefully, that meant nothing was wrong.

She thought about walking into the house and lying down in his arms. But she also knew that wasn't likely because they were both so stressed. When she got to the door, she was afraid of what she would discover. Had he taken care of the problem? Was he ready to tell her what happened with his father earlier? She had so many questions, and all she could do was pray that he'd answer them.

When she walked in, Dominic was moving around in front of the fireplace. It didn't take him long to direct his rage at her. Claudia understood those eyes weren't on anyone but her. The next concern was what she did. What had caused him to look at her with such hostility?

Instead of asking, Claudia simply said, "Hey."

"You should have stayed in my house. It's dangerous to leave without anyone else. Why the hell did you do that? You were so close to death."

Dominic was the most angry person she had ever encountered. He twitched his bottom lip repeatedly between his remarks. His face was bright red. She was truly scared because she was nervous. Her initial response to danger was animosity.

"You pay attention to how you speak to me. It's all your fault that we're in this mess."

He looked like he was mentally figuring out what could happen and how to respond. "You did not have to sign the contract, Claudia. There was never any threat of violence. You could have left at any time. Because you agreed to do this with me, your life has changed. You knew exactly what you were agreeing to when you accepted."

Things took a significant turn within minutes. Dominic went from being kind to cruel. Her disappointment made her want to vomit. She took care not to say anything impulsive. She believed his good intentions. They were the only ones in this particular scenario. No one needed to call her out. She thought of them as criminal co-conspirators not blaming each other for the aftermath.

"I did sign it, Dom. You made me believe that all I had to do was act like we were in love and getting married. That I wouldn't be put in danger. But the more I think about it, the more I see how stupid I was." Claudia took a deep breath, then let it out. "You were sincere when you told me everything would be okay, but now I'm stuck in here."

Dominic started pacing. His attention was not on her at all. "Do you think I enjoy worrying about you? Do you think I enjoyed being in this home right now, worrying about where you were?"

"Why are you worried for me if you are going to treat me like a child?"

"I don't mean to make you feel like a child, but you need supervision, Claudia."

"Really?" she challenged, fists tensed. "I'm just ten years younger than you, but I'm still an adult."

Dominic stared at her intently and added, "I know that, Dia. I was referring to having supervision within the Mafia world. You must understand the ins and outs of every situation and know what to do."

"You may be right, Dom, but that's no excuse to treat me like a baby. You act as though you have no idea what you're doing. I didn't ask for this. I hate being trapped inside your house and having to worry about bullets flying through the window."

He gritted his teeth and stared at her intently. The only good thing she could say about seeing his face was that she felt better. Despite her stress, Claudia felt comfortable in his company. This terrible ordeal has come to an end. Dominic's mood swings made her hate him, but she liked being around him when he was decent. He evoked emotions in her that she had never felt before, and the idea of giving up that connection was out of the question.

There was a short standoff between them. He was glaring venomously into her eyes. The disdain in her stare for him was mutual. However, it seemed a bit timid. She believed she didn't want to be upset with him. All she wanted was for them to get along. This situation made that impossible. Thinking differently showed just how clueless she was.

Dominic started, "You're right. You shouldn't have to constantly look over your shoulder in fear. Putting you into my chaotic world and signing the contract was a huge mistake. I never should have asked for help from anyone. There's no need to worry about a phony wedding anymore. It meant nothing, and we both know that."

Claudia was unsure whether he was joking. She could only hope he wasn't, because the words hurt. Those words were too hurtful. Dominic thought their relationship was phony? She was nearly in tears. With only two weeks together, she could not believe that. No tears fell from her. She would never provide him with that much satisfaction. Their relationship seemed real to her. Something had to be there. Genuine and reciprocal.

Was everything in her head? Did he not have any feelings for her? What happened to him earlier while he was with his men?

She shouldn't have stood there thinking about those things. She just wanted her and Dominic to stay together. And all of a sudden, none of that was plausible.

After this disussion, they stopped talking to each other. The things Dominic said broke her heart, and she wanted to scream as loud as she could.

Claudia spent two days in the guest room while he slept in his bedroom. Only when she went to the kitchen to get something to eat did they see each other. She wished it didn't have to be this way because she wanted someone to talk to when she was jittery. 

She had this stupid idea that Dominic would come to the room, tap on the door, and apologize at some point during the day. After their fight, she imagined them cuddling. This dream kept coming back to her mind, which made her look at the door like a fool. Through it, Claudia could feel his essence and hear his deep voice in the hallway sometimes.

But, of course, he didn't come. Dominic never checked on her. She felt like a spoiled brat thinking about him. Over time, her anxiety grew. This enraged her. She often got out of bed and went to the door, almost facing him. It increased her pride and self-respect that she didn't. After the moon rose, she realized he didn't care to see her. He stopped trying to figure everything out.

She questioned everything. Her path to self-pity, self-doubt, and self-reflection began. Only a bit of crying helped. All else was regrettable except Dominic and his charming minuscule traits. Claudia never felt so awful signing anything.

Claudia couldn't do anything about it, though. She waited in bed. She was confident in her future until it vanished. It was a crude way to begin the day. She needed to find a way to move on from Dominic in her heart. He seemed to have a lot going on when he was out of the house, but she didn't know for sure. She hoped that the feeling of doubt wasn't real. But who would she be kidding? He told her that their relationship was a ruse. What they had gone through together didn't matter to him.

He might have felt that way about her on the first day they spent together, but things had to have changed for him. Maybe he said those things to push her away because of the mess they were in. Or he said them so she would stop wanting to be with him. Once she thought about it, she could move on. Will someone kill her? Will everything go wrong in a way she could never have imagined? She didn't know anything. However, this appeared to be the case. The sooner she accepted what was going to happen, the better she could sleep.

Dominic had not said anything to her by the next morning. Only Claudia was less stressed than before. The aftermath of their plan made her no longer care about him. She was ready to give up forever. Her contract and connection to him were over.

Her mind was made up by the time he was getting ready for work. It was time for her to pack and leave him. For the better.

✧