The Duke's Willful Wife (10 page)

Maybe that was why he’d been so duped.  A woman having an affair with another man didn’t need the attentions of her husband but Sasha had never rejected him. 
She’d always been just as passionate as that first time together. 

In the back of his mind, he admitted that he wanted that passion back.  Not with this woman.  No, he’d never trust Sasha again.  Too many accusations had flown between the two of them to go back.  He wanted her, no doubt.  But there wasn’t a man who was breathing who wouldn’t want this seductress with her animated brown eyes and her long hair that
floated
around him
just
like her flowery scent.  He wanted desperately to touch her silky skin, to feel her legs wrap around his waist and to sense her need, hear her calls and sighs of happiness as he filled her up. 

But never again, he told himself, backing up from the bed and closing the door behind himself.  Once a sucker, and never again.  He had to brace himself against her.  She would lure him in just like she did the first time and he didn’t want her anymore.  Not like that. 

Chapter
3

Sasha looked around, enjoying the sunshine and, although she felt guilty about this
part, she enjoyed the relative
freedom of the dreary hospital room.  It was exceptionally nice by hospital standards because Rennata had a private room but at a very basic level, there wasn’t much one could do to brighten up a hospital room. 

She was also exhausted from the worry for Rennata.  While she read out loud, Sasha’s eyes kept glancing up to Rennata’s face, checking the color then moving to all the monitors to make sure her heart was still beating and measuring if her heart rate was increasing, if her blood pressure was adequate, was there enough oxygen mixing through her body to help her
heart
heal
properly
? 

All the possibilities were wearing her down.  With her creative mind, she kept coming up with the worst case scenario and they all ended in tragedy.  Sasha forced her mind to be positive, but that took a great deal of energy.

So the sunshine and the open air, the release from the consta
nt monitor scanning, was a break that she knew she needed. 

She had no idea where she was going or what she might do, but even the aimlessness felt good. 

Sasha smiled as she walked down the sidewalk away from the hospital building.  The spring was slowly creeping into the air.  Along with the sunshine and longer days, the daffodils were starting to pop up from their winter hiding place.  Spring was always an exciting time for Sasha but she honestly couldn’t remember what had occurred during
last year’s spring
time.  She’d just left Dante and had hidden herself away in her cottage for so long, she wasn’t even sure when it had started and when she’d finally woken up and started painting again. 

She almost laughed at how life turned around because she was more than making up for her lack of productivity last year by creating wonderful pieces
lately.  Even the past week had
given her so many new ideas she had trouble getting all of them onto canvas.  Many of them were unfinished though.  She had too many ideas and not enough time.  Even though the sunshine felt good and she had unfinished paintings, she wouldn’t give up her time with Rennata for anything.  The woman was so sweet and had been such a gift to her both during her marriage and afterwards, she wanted to be there for her, no matter what happened. 

Sasha was ac
tually afraid to be optimistic
about Rennata’s health.  The doctors
seem
ed to be more positive and Rennata really did look better.  She was talking more and almost sitting up at times.  But she wasn’t eating solid food yet.  And she still tired
so easily that she slept a significant portion of the da
y, another issue that was concerning. 

As she walked, she didn’t really have a purpose except to expend the time outside the hospital while th
e
doctors ran x-rays on Rennata to determine if her lungs were clearing up
after an infection yesterday started to develop
. 

At the corner, Sasha looked to the right and left.  One way took her down a cobbled street with smaller shops and some sort of tall, stone building at the end.  To the right looked like small shops with brightly colored items for sale hanging on doors and awnings. 

Sasha didn’t really feel like shopping, wasn’t in the right kind of mood for that.  So she went to the left, just curious about this direction and the stone
building
at the end.  There were quaint little houses crowded together but not in a bad way.  It was one of those older neighborhoods with the narrow streets and three or four story homes that had probably been here for centuries.  There were shutters on some, gauzy curtains blowing gently from others and at the end of the street, there was a beautiful church with a large stained glass window over a bright red double door.  The steps leading up to the open doorway were worn from years of use and the hinges looked to be so old she wasn’t sure how the doors stayed on the building.  But
there was
a
solid feeling
to
all of it
. 

Inside, the church was dark with weathered grey stone on the floors and dark wooden pews
.  The only light was coming from the front where everything was bright.

Sasha was charmed by the church and slid into one of the pews.  She didn’t think about much, but simply sat there, enjoying the peace and quiet of the sanctuary.  There was something nice and different about this church; nothing modern in any space, but everything seemed in working order.  As Sasha looked up at the pulpit, she could imagine that the stone was a perfect sounding board for the priest as he rang out his sermon. 

She actually smiled at the idea of Riasa sitting in one of the pews, listening to the minister talk about the charity and kindness all should offer to their neighbor.  The woman probably didn’t know how cruel her words came across.  Or maybe she did and simply didn’t care.

After several moments, Sasha closed her eyes and thought about all the problems she had in her life right now.  The only good thing she had at the moment was her painting, but she couldn’t release the work she’d done recently.  It was too personal.  But it was good, and she was learning from everything she did. 

It was hard, she thought with a sigh, but she was coming out of the past year stronger.  She needed to stand up to Riasa, and not let the woman get through her defenses so easily. 
In the past, she’d waited for Dante to step in and handle the situation since it was his mother, but he wasn’t going to do anything, and she wasn’t willing to wait any longer, even if she had only a small amount of time left before Rennata was well enough to come home. 

She also needed to step outside of herself and start living again.  She needed to laugh and love and move forward.  He heart wrenched painfully at the idea of
leaving
Dante
permanently
and maybe she wasn’t ready to move forward there.  She definitely didn’t want to start dating again and the idea of filing for divorce, for taking an action so final, was out of the question.  In time, she would figure out what to do about her marriage, but right now, she would push that to the back of her mind.

But what if something happened to Rennata?  Would she be strong enough to deal with that? 

Please, please, she begged in her mind, please don’t let anything happen to that tender, sweet, loving woman who’s only sin was to….well, Sasha didn’t know what Rennata’s sins were.  They were there, no doubt.  Rennata was one who lived life to the fullest and that was bound to generate mistakes.  But at least she lived.  Which was much more than Sasha had been doing lately.

Yes, it was time to re-start life.  She needed to get back to a happy place.  Dante was a wonderful, handsome man who made her feel more than anyone else ever had and possibly ever would.  But he didn’t want her, no matter how vehemently she claimed her innocence to the accusations he tossed her way. 

She took a deep breath and opened her eyes.  The world was still the same, but she felt much better.  It was as if she’d unburdened herself and she could walk away with a spring in her step.  She didn’t have the answers.  Yet.  But something inside her felt stronger.  As if she could actually start looking for those answers once again.  And not be afraid of what she might find. 

She walked qui
etly down the aisle, her whole body feeling better than she had in a long time. 

She pushed the doors open and blinked at the bright sunshine and smiled as she walked back down the steps.  Glancing at her watch, she was surprised at how long she’d spent inside the church.  It had been over an hour? 

Not possible.  She still had time though.  The nurse
helping
Rennata
to her tests
had mentioned that it would take a while before Rennata would be back in her room since the doctor had ordered a whole series of tests besides the x-ray. 

She walked down the street, passing by the cross street that she
would turn back on to return
to the hospital.  Deciding to spend a bit of time relaxing with a cup of coffee, she suspected she could find a small café down
the opposite
way.  She glanced at the various stores, but nothing really caught her eye. 
A
fter only a few minutes, she found a coffee shop and bakery and was able to relax with a newspaper and a cappuccino, enjoying the sunshine
more
than anything else. 

“Sasha Fuitello?” a female voice said, interrupting Sasha’s mental contemplation of Rennata’s health. 

Sasha turned and looked around, spotting a woman with dark hair and dark sunglasses.  “Jenna?” Sasha asked, looking at the woman who was dressed so beautifully.  When she
finally
realized that this truly was her old friend, she jumped up and hurried across the café.  “Oh my goodness!  I can’t believe it’s really you!  Where have you been?”

Jenna laughed and hurried over to her college friend. 
“I’ve been in Greece trying to save my father’s company
,” she said with a  flippant grin.  “
How have you been?  You haven’t answered my phone calls or e-mails.  I know you and Dante were having problems but….
”

Sasha interrupted Jenna, needing clarification about her friend’s family as well as a distraction from the questions Sasha knew were coming. 
“What do you mean?  Your father was always flying into town and taking us all out for dinner.”

“Yes, but during our last year at school, things got a little out of hand.”

“Tell me all about it.  I’ve missed you!” Sasha said and hugged her friend once again as they sat down.  A waitress arrived and they got two more
cappuccinos
and Sasha leaned forward, eager to hear about her friend.  Jenna talked about how her father’s business had been threatened by a business man who Jenna described as a shark and mean spirited, until she married him.  Sasha told her all about her own husband and the issues surrounding their breakup and why she was here in Italy now. 

They talked for hours, laughing and catching up.  “Goodness, I have to go.  My husband is expecting me back soon.  I told him I’d be home about now.”  Just as she was picking up her purse, her cell phone rang
and she grinned to Sasha as she answered the call
.  “Hello dear,” she answered
immediately
, winking at Sasha who was looking on jealously.  “I’m on my way back now.  I’ll see you in fifteen minutes.”

She hung up and turned to grab her purse. “
B
y the way, I’m having a dinner party tomorrow night with some of Hector’s buddies while he’s in town.  Please tell me you’ll come.”

Sasha laughed at Jenna’s overabundance of energy. 
“Not a chance,” Sasha replied and picked up her own pur
s
e, putting several bills on the table to pay for the coffees.  “I’m spending all my time here with Rennata or trying to get some work done.”

“
You can’t work all the time.  You tried that in college and look where it landed you, married to a guy that you love but can’t live with. 
And there aren’t visiting hours at night, so you don’t have any excuse.
”  Jenna waited only long enough to catch Sasha’s inability to counter her arguments.  “
Just come
tomorrow night
and have some dinner.  All the men are boring, married guys who are financial people.  I need you there to help me through the evening.
  Remember how we’d get through the college parties?  All three of us in a corner laughing and having a great time?
  It will be just like that and we’ll e-mail Dana and tell her all about it so at least she can be laughing with us from a distance.
”

Sasha considered it for a moment, then decided that Jenna was right.  “Okay.  E-mail me the time and address and I’ll be there, but you’ll owe me.”

Jenna threw her arms around Sasha’s shoulders and gave her a big hug.  “Definitely.  I can’t wait to see you again!”