His Discarded Bride: Lied to from birth. Manipulated into marriage. Does love stand a chance?

by Joy, Melita

  What Leilani needed was something to fill more of her hours, maybe a business of her own. She sat down and spent the afternoon jotting down some ideas trying desperately to keep her mind sane.

  Renato touched down in Rome and made his way straight to Pontelandolfo, the drive would do him good. The last few days had been a nightmare with negotiations being stalled once again. The seller a stubborn old fool had indicated that he now wanted to meet his new wife of all things. It was ludicrous and had no relevance, besides Leilani was still too unpredictable. She could end up losing the entire deal for him particularly if their last conversation were any indication.

  He’d barely had time to think of her little jealous episode. He knew he should have called her back, but he had been flat out, as one thing after another took his attention away. He would be home soon enough, and he’d deal with things then. Hopefully, her doubts were a passing insecurity; he wanted to go home and bed his sexy wife a lot more than he wanted to sit and defend his actions.

  Leilani heard Renato come through the door and walked into the living room to greet her husband. “How was your trip,” she asked solicitously.

  Walking straight towards her, he took her into his arms and kissed her as though he had been away for years rather than a week. “It was tiring and stressful,” and without a breath, “and now I want to take you to bed. I’ve missed you,” it was a statement. However, he left time for her to refuse.

  “I missed you too,” and she held his hand and walked towards the bedroom where they made love twice. The first time was semi-clothed, fast and hard as they clung to each other working one another to climax barely inside the room. The second time they lingered, appreciating one another, tasting, feeling and enjoying the slow build up to release. All the worries of the week disappeared with his kisses, how easily she went to him; their lovemaking was even more explosive than in the days before he left.

  They took their time dressing, neither saying much. She still wanted to discuss the issue of Camilla but didn’t know how to initiate the conversation so soon after making love.

  “Sit down, it’s clear we need to talk,” Renato stated. “Look, I will regularly need to go away for business and sometimes you may come with me and other trips I’ll be on my own. I will nearly always require my assistant to go along with me,” he started.

  “I understand,” she interjected.

  “Let me finish,” he pushed. “I assured you that I wouldn’t sleep around, and nothing has changed. It appears that you and Camilla have not hit it off, but I can assure you that I do not find her tempting in the least. You have nothing to worry about,” he assured her.

  “I know you need an assistant but does it have to be her?” she asked.

  “Leilani you are going to have to deal with your insecurities. If I get someone else what will be the difference, you’ll just start to grow suspicious of my new P.A.,” he objected. “What is it with the two of you? The last time she was here I could feel the animosity between you both.”

  “She is interested in more than a working relationship with you Renato, that’s what the problem is,” she fired back.

  His phone started ringing but before he answered, “Listen, I don’t want to have this becoming an issue. Are you prepared to trust me so we can make our marriage work?” he asked quickly, the phone pressing their conversation.

  Leilani wanted to say more; she wanted to bring up the conversation she’d had with Camilla, but the ringing rushed her, and she ended up agreeing to trust him.

  “Good, let’s drop the subject then hmm,” kissing her forehead quickly he answered the call and headed to his office.

  Later that night at the dinner table Renato asked her how she’d been filling her days, “I’ve been studying Italian,” she said with a half-smile. “I’m terrible though,” she admitted.

  “Show me. Ciao bella, come ti chiami?”

  “Um, mi chiamo Leilani,” she uttered slowly still needing to think about her response.

  Renato laughed in delight, “Excellent,” he reassured her. “Just your pronunciation needs some work. When you end the word chiamo you should pronounce the o like you say orange,” he instructed.

  “That’s what I did, didn’t I?” now she wasn’t so sure.

  “No, you ended it like you say mang o,” he smiled. You sound like an Aussie speaking Italian.

  She laughed, “Well that’s because I am an Aussie trying to learn Italian,” she exclaimed. She didn’t mind his assistance; he was helpful and a little bit playful about it so her confidence remained.

  “’I’ve been thinking. I need something to do during the days. Learning Italian is fine but it only takes up a couple of hours at best, and I’ve always worked for a living.” She might not have had a high-flying career, but she had always worked, mostly in customer service that she enjoyed. Lounging around was fine for a holiday but long term she would no doubt go crazy.

  “I have nothing against you working but until you learn the language, you will struggle to find employment here. The other factor to consider is that jobs in Italy are scarce at the moment,” he stated.

  “Yes, you are right. I’m aware of the economic situation here,” she agreed.

  “I don’t want to sound condescending, but the level of work you have on your resume is entry level. Once you do learn the language, some might think it unfair of you to take a working class job. Particularly a job that could go to someone who needs it to support their family,” he raised a good point.

  “That’s true, I guess I didn’t give it much thought. However, I will need something to do. I think I'll need to give it more thought.”

  “What about this,” he came up with an idea. “Why don’t you study the language and culture full time, there is a good private learning institute in the city. Then when you are proficient in the language the two of us can look into options for you. Who knows you may even be pregnant with our baby,” he smiled.

  Leilani pressed her lips together. A baby, she hadn’t even thought about that possibility yet. It was way too soon; they weren’t just newly-wed they were newly met. “I think I’d like to wait a bit before we rush into a family,” she deferred.

  He frowned, “Now or later a family is imperative. You knew that was part of the proposition,” he stated.

  “Yes and I’m not backing out of that agreement,” proposition indeed. Did he need to make it sound like a business deal, couldn’t he at least let it go and pretend that it was an ordinary marriage. “I’m just saying that I think it would be better to continue to build our relationship first before we bring a baby into the world. I want to ensure our child has a stable home to enter and right now it’s just all so new for both of us,” she was simply trying to be rational.

  “Are you on the pill?”

  “No, I’ve never had a need,” she answered honestly.

  He paused looking at her, waiting for the realisation to sink in. “Leilani I’m sure I don’t need to spell this out for you. If you haven’t been taking oral contraception and we haven’t been using anything, then the chances are that you may already be with child,” he stated as a matter of fact.

  “Oh,” he was right and she couldn’t even point the finger. They had both made love without giving a thought to contraception. Naturally Renato hadn’t raised the topic of wanting a baby immediately but if she didn’t want a baby, then she should have thought about this sooner.

  “Maybe I should see a doctor and organise the pill,” she said thinking out aloud.

  “How about this,” Renato proposed. “Wait until the start of your period. If you are pregnant already then you don’t want to risk harming the baby. If you are not then by all means go see a physician,” he was rational, and his suggestion made sense. She’d expected more resistance from him.

  “That sounds like a logical idea,” she agreed with him once again.

  “Leilani, I know you want to think I’m the villain due to the circumstances of our marriage, but I’m not inhu
man. I will give you some time to get accustomed to being married and the idea of starting a family. Just don’t wait too long. We will continually have pressure from Vittorio, and personally I would prefer to conceive sooner rather than later,” he ended their conversation.

  After their meal ended Leilani retired to the living room to watch television. The programs were all in Italian, which was unfortunate but would assist her learning. Renato headed into his office, his day not complete. She had already worked out those late nights working would be a norm for him. The fact that he stopped to eat with her was a definite effort on his part, one of the house staff had mentioned that previously he always ate at his desk in his office.

  She stood up and poured herself a small glass of dessert wine, a botrytis that had been sitting at the back of the cabinet. Admiring the amber liquid she walked back to the lounge. Her jaw dropped, and the glass slipped to the tiles before she made it back to her seat. Leilani didn’t need to be bilingual to understand the scenes in front of her on the screen.

  The entertainment news had footage of Camilla walking out of Renato’s apartment in Rome earlier this morning. She looked as though she’d just stepped out of bed. Only half-decent pulling up the straps on her dress and carrying her heels and purse in her hands as she raced down the path to her car. There was a wedding photo of Renato and Leilani dramatically enlarged on the screen and then shown tearing down the centre to split them up. It was obvious in any language what was happening.

  That lying so and so telling her that nothing had been going on between them when obviously it had; Camilla had warned her and here was the evidence. How could he, before coming home to her he had stopped first at the apartment. Her heart sank at what a fool she’d been to believe in him.

  Renato raced into the living room catching the tail end of the viewing. “It’s not what you think,” he looked her straight in the eye and grabbed a hold of her shoulders.

  “Let go of me this instance,” she demanded a tad on the hysterical side. “You are a cheat and a liar Renato Favalli and not even a week has passed since our vows,” she escalated.

  “Sit down,” he ordered. He pulled out his phone and called Camilla, “What game are you playing,” he asked in a lethally low voice.

  Leilani couldn’t hear the words, but she heard Camilla’s voice rapidly talking in Italian. Renato switched to Italian and shortly terminated the call.

  “The press have taken this situation out of context. Leilani, please, look at me. The press are masters of sensationalising stories. Camila was at the apartment to check on any business mail left there, and that is all. She was seen leaving the apartment, and she stated the paparazzi took her by surprise,” he rationalised.

  “You missed the first part of the show Renato. The part where it looked like she was still dressing, rumpled and with her shoes in her hands. How do you explain that?” she felt irrational. She wanted to call him names, but she knew it wouldn’t help.

  Swearing in Italian Renato picked up the phone. “I’m going to call Camilla, and I want you to hear everything,” she nodded her head, this should be interesting. Camilla answered the phone on the first ring. “Camilla, I have you on loud speaker and Leilani is with me. I want you to explain what happened because we have just seen the entire footage of you coming out of the apartment,” he said.

  “Renato, are you sure you want me to say the truth or,” she paused suggestively.

  “The truth Camilla, no games,” he demanded.

  “Well in that case I’m surprised you didn’t just admit to it to her yourself but if you prefer me to say it, then I will. Leilani you fool before he came home to you today Renato, and I made a little detour to the apartment. Do I need to be more explicit or do you get the idea?” she laughed.

  Renato yelled into the phone more ferocious with anger than she’d ever seen anyone, “You lie,” he roared swearing at her. Terminating the call he called Savino. “Disable Camilla’s access and revoke her company belongings.” Finally, he faced Leilani.

  There was no way she would put up with this. The marriage needed to end.

  CHAPTER sixteen

  Leilani sipped on her liqueur and waited for his response.

  “You can stay here for a few days, but you will need to return home at some point,” he stated.

  “By home I’m hoping you mean Australia,” she knew he meant by her husband’s side but she asked the question regardless.

  “Renato is a decent man, you could do a lot worse,” he remonstrated. “Why are you empowering these news mongers? Do you know for a fact that Renato has been unfaithful to you?” he put forth.

  “Well yes of course I do, I wouldn’t be here otherwise,” she maintained.

  “He admitted that he slept with the woman?” Vittorio persisted.

  “No, of course not, what man would. He denied it all, but I know it happened. Camilla called me and told me that she had gone to London with Renato and that she had been sleeping with him and then just a couple of days later she was seen coming out of his apartment. You can’t get any guiltier than that?” she asked.

  Vittorio raised his grey brows; wiry with age, “Is that so?” he prodded.

  “Oh for goodness sake, if you have something to say then just say it please,” she was exasperated. Vittorio had welcomed her in when she arrived unannounced on his doorstep, offering her refuge and an ear to listen to her woes. It was becoming apparent that he was not going to side with her simple because she wanted an ally.

  “There are always two sides to a story as I’m sure you know. If I were you I’d choose to pay more attention to the words of your husband rather than those of the press or a scorned woman,” he advised.

  Dropping her head into her hands, she kneaded her forehead with the joints of her fingers. “I just want to leave him, there is no trust between us,” she was exhausted feeling as though all of her past and present issues had joined forces to deplete her emotional reserves.

  Vittorio stood up and took her glass from her. “I’ve had the spare room made up for you. Go lie down, you will be able to think better after you’ve rested,” he urged.

  The idea of a nap was welcome. She wasn’t one to take a day sleep, but she felt tired and in need of one right now. “You won’t make me go straight back to him will you,” she felt like a child asking the question, but she dreaded any further confrontation. Leilani had left Renato in a huff telling him she needed time to clear her head, and she walked down to the village on her own where she bumped into one of Renato’s grounds keepers. She asked him to take her into Benevento and nervously he’d agreed. The poor man probably felt torn between pity for her and fear of his employer. No doubt everyone knew of her public shame, her sham of a marriage and inability to keep her husband satisfied for more than a week.

  She then took a train from Benevento into Rome and found her way to Vittorio. He was the only refuge she had.

  “Go rest, we will sort things out when you wake up,” he ended the conversation and sent her to her room.

  The curtains were drawn, the room dark and cool, and the bed very inviting with the cover turned down in anticipation of her arrival. She stripped down to her underwear and crawled between the sheets, sleep claiming her only moments after her head hit the pillow.

  She felt a hand running through her hair, massaging her scalp and trailing sensitively over her face. It was soothing and sensual, and she leaned towards the source of such pleasure searching for more. Renato’s mouth on hers brought her quickly to reality, and she scurried from him, scooting to the middle of the bed. “What are you doing here?” she demanded, upset that Vittorio had betrayed her so soon.

  “Get dressed and meet me in the living room,” he directed rising to his feet.

  “I have nothing to say to you,” but her words were lost as he firmly shut the door behind him.

  She huffed but complied and met him as instructed. Vittorio had conveniently disappeared. Renato stood erect by the window waiting for her.
He took her hand and walked towards the front door. “Where are we going? I’d rather stay here if you don’t mind,” she asserted.

  “That's a shame. We are going downstairs to our apartment,” he insisted.

  It was the first time he’d used the word ours. It wasn’t lost on her. However, it was too little too late. There was no we or ours in their relationship there was just a big fat, his. Everything was his, and if he thought he could include her as part of his property well, he had another thing coming. She would not allow him to treat her so intolerably. His threats of making her life a misery if she didn’t stay married to him were wasted. His life was already shaping up miserably she doubted he could make it any worse.

  They entered the apartment and sat down at the kitchen table where Renato brought in an assortment of staff to testify to his innocence. They all claimed that Renato had not been there that morning. “Renato, your staff, are on your payroll. While I don’t want to call anyone an outright liar, I know they are all going to say whatever you tell them to,” she stated the obvious.

  “I thought you might say so which is why I have Savino coming over with indisputable facts for you.” he was stony faced and she would hazard a guess that he rarely had his integrity challenged.

  Savino arrived and sat at the table with a laptop open to prove his point. “I’m not sure if you understand much about GPS technology,” he started.

  “I know a little,” she replied.

  “Good. In that case, you’ll be aware that most new cars have GPS tracking devices installed. They not only assist you to your chosen destination by pinpointing your location, but they can be used to track your speed, tire pressure and fuel consumption amongst other things,” he continued.

  Leilani hadn’t realised the functionality was for more than a directional assistant and wondered what this all had to do with proving Renato’s supposed innocence.

  “Your husband’s limited edition Maserati GranCabrio comes with an active GPS system,” he paused and brought the laptop closer.