Mafia Boss's Secret Wife

Chapter 8: Freesias and theater

I roll my eyes and smack his hand away, hurrying to put distance between us once more.

“Get out!” I hiss, my back turned to him, hot angry tears starting to stream down my face. I hurry to wipe them. “GET OUT!” I yell, but Thomas doesn’t seem affected by my tantrum.

He dips his hands in his pockets, watching me busying myself with random things that were out of place in the studio.

I can feel his eyes pinned on my back and I can’t shake this feeling of being utterly and completely vulnerable right now. Like a stalked mouse with no shelter in sight.

“You know just as well as anyone else, I could offer everything your heart desires.” He talks once more and his voice irks me even more now.

“Oh, you think so?!” I snap as I turn to face him again, tears clouding my vision.

One of his brows goes up in confusion, as if he couldn’t get my point.

“It seems to me you are very much incapable of one important thing!” I hiss, eyes narrowing.

His face relaxes into a bored expression, his eyes roaming the room.

“Women and their desperate attempt at a man’s affection.” He comments with so much detachment I am certain no human could be capable off. “Love is a myth, Persephone. And while you chase around for it, you fade away. And attachment is a weakness. Easily exploited as you will soon come to know.” He continues while he walks to grab his coat and hat.

“You’re wrong!” I hurry to counter, but to no avail. Thomas was not going to change his mind because of anger and tears, I was certain of that.

“Joshua was his name, right? He claimed he loved you, did he not?” He sets the hat back on his head and my heart drops into the pits of my stomach. “Then why did he leave when you stopped meeting his expectations? If he had loved you, would he not have come forward and tell you he is sterile and not blame you?” He continues as he fixes his coat and takes in a deep breath.

My eyes round slowly and I suck in my breath as I listen to him. Nonsense! He was talking nonsense!

“And your -“ he pauses, his eyes trailing back to me. “-love-“ he speaks the word with so much disgust that he even grimaces. “-towards your mother is nothing but a deeply rooted attachment. Love would have been to let her pass long ago. Not hold on to your own hopes and expectations of her ever coming back to you.” He stops and his head c***s to the side slightly, as if he was pitying me. “Who would ever come back to stupid, meaningless and broken Persephone?” He adds in a death cold voice that makes the very marrow in my bones ache.

“You came back!” I hiss with a pained breath, pointing an accusatory finger towards him.

“Only because I need something from you.” Thomas shrugs, his back to me, his head turning to the side, watching me with the corner of his eyes. “And when you realize the only thing you’ll ever be valuable at is to be used, you know how to find me.” And with that, he walks out of the room, leaving me in shambles.

It feels like my heart breaks over and over again, and old wounds open once more. Wounds I never thought I still had…

***

“And you simply decided to never tell me?!” I bark at the man in front of me.

Joshua grips the flowers a little tighter, his knuckles turning white from the force of the grip. His eyes narrow and the brown eyes seem to darken even more with distrust and shame.

“How did you find out?” He asks in a low voice, dropping the flowers he earlier offered me with so enough effort to make me think he cared. But I knew better…

“So you’re not denying?” I huff and roll my eyes. There were no more tears to shed in front of him anymore. For the past years, I’ve shed enough of them. “You’re not denying you made me feel broken and useless all these years just because you are -” I pause and swallow my own words.

“Persephone, I-“ he starts and reaches for me, but I slap his arm away.

“I don’t want to see you, Josh.” I hiss as I walk past him, through the hospital’s door and rush inside.

The nurses at the reception immediately busy themselves, as if they have not been prying their keen ears to our talk, while I walk past them. I’m sure it was not the first time they have heard something like this, but I still felt like an i***t for making a scene right in front of the hospital.

“Miss Dobrivnik?” A very familiar voice rings through the hallway, somewhere behind me.

I stop abruptly and turn around. I am met with an ever smiling nurse that by now could be my adoptive aunty. She hands me a coffee and updates me on my mother’s status.

My mother was a good woman. I don’t know how she ended up in this whole suffering cycle. Cancer was a silent killer, wasn’t it? But not for my mother. It’s been so long now that I am not even sure if I have a memory of her being healthy anymore.

Leukemia was merciless and after my encounter with Thomas, I was coming to think it was not just the sickness who was hurting my mother.

I was the one who insisted on the treatment. On all of them! I was the one who insisted on seeing countless doctors for more and more opinions and different new tests and treatments…

All because I did not want to be alone.

I stop by the door, reading through the extensive report I have been handed, as if I could understand something. Before I can finish it and open the door, something else picks my attention. I hear laughter. Faint, shy, but lively and definitely a tune I recognize. My heart skips a beat and a smile blooms on my face. I hurry to push the door open and step inside, but when my eyes land on the person sitting by my mother’s bed, my smile instantly fades.

“Ioanna!” My mother’s dry voice pulls me back to reality and I snap out of my anger driven thoughts.

My lips press into a thin line and a forced smile as I allow the door to close behind me.

“Ioanna?” Thomas repeats the name, a little surprised. His voice was coated with honey and his face held a theatrical gentleness and smile.

“Oh? Did she not tell you her full name?!” My mother chimes with cheekiness. “Should have figured she’d avoid it-“ she adds with a roll of her eyes.

“I guess we’re not that close yet -“ Thomas speaks with what feels like genuine amusement.

“Hello, mama.” I struggle to speak softly as I lean down and kiss her forehead, eyeing the raven haired man with spite plastered all over my face.

“She always took pride in the name she inherited from her father.” My mother adds with a hint of mockery. “But forgot her beauty is all balkan!” She huffs, patting my arm.

“Quite chatty, aren’t you?” I joke while putting away my bag and busying myself with the shelf by the bed. A Large bouquet of white and purple freesias rests in a vase right by the bed, their scent filling the room and almost covering the scent of pills and chemicals.

“Well, Tommy here has been a great company.” The older woman hums and I feel like I will gag.

“Tommy, hm?” I huff and roll my eyes. “Didn’t know you and Tommy were friends-“ I force a wide smile as I look at the man across from me.

He seems as calm as ever, leaned into his seat, watching the two of us with that theatrical smile all over his face. Oh, how I want to wipe it off of his face with the back of my shoe!

“You didn’t? Oh, Oksana-“ Thomas shakes his head. “Haven’t you told her I’ve been visiting for weeks?”

“Hush!” My mother hurries to press a shaky finger to her own lips. “I was just about to sell you over!” She jokes and I am not sure if I should feel offended that my mother was looking to hook me up with someone, or that he has been going around my back for weeks…

Thomas huffs, amused, shakes his head and gets up with a little grunt.

“Well, I am sure your daughter would appreciate some time alone with you -“ he hums as he takes my mother’s hand and presses a gentle kiss on her knuckles. “I’ll see you.” He adds before he pulls away, much to my mother’s disappointment.

I swallow back curses and unholy words as he walks around the bed and towards the door without looking at me, acting as if I did not even exist. My blood boils and I want to chase after him and beat him with the flowers he left on at mother’s bedside.

The door closes behind him and my mother lets out a tired sigh, leaning further into the mountain of pillows.

“I truly hope you’re done for good with that good for nothing -“

“Mother!” I hurry to stop her before she finds more venom to spit in Joshua’s way.

She was never fond of him. She never seemed to like him. She always insisted on breaking up, because I could do so much better.

“What?! I am just saying! Thomas is-“ she raises her arms in defense.

“Alright, alright. Let’s not do this now-“ I force a smile as I fix her pillows and walk around the bed to take Thoma’s seat. “Now, tell me how you’re feeling.” I force a smile pushing away whatever slander I had going on in my mind right now.