Blood speckled his shirt and face, his hands tinted pink from what I assumed was also from blood. As each day went by, it felt as if the Bennett I’d come to know and love was quickly retreating and the devil I knew and despised was coming back. I thought he’d been stored away once the situation with Wilson was handled, but now the devil was back in full force. I was fucking stupid to think everything would be blissful when I gave birth to Liam. And I was delusional for thinking that being his wife gave me some kind of shield of protection against him.
He pinched the bridge of his nose and blew out a breath. “I’m not going to keep fucking repeating myself. I’m trying to build a fucking empire. Why can’t you just understand that?”
“And why can’t you find some kind of balance? It’s as if La Fedeltà is more important than your actual family—”
“Because it fucking is!” he bellowed, his rage returning. “It fucking is important! I have men and their families depending on me to make this work. I have so much on my shoulders right now and you and your bullshit isn’t making this easy!”
And there it was, the smoking gun that his actions had already made obvious. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to know that the mafia family was more important than Liam and I; they saw and talked to him more than I did. I’d be lying if I said it didn’t hurt to hear him confirm the assumption I’d already made. I was trying so hard to take care of things at home, but it was so hard to be the happy, supportive wife when I was lonely. When I missed my husband. I’d hoped that he would’ve seen that my actions were just because I’d wanted to see him. Sure, it was childish, but it wasn’t like he’d left me with a choice. Everything in me wanted to scream, but instead I simply scoffed and rolled my eyes.
“Right, because the only thing that matters are things you deem important,” I muttered, wrapping my arms around myself as I dropped my eyes to the tiled floor. “You get to have everything you want, and I’m supposed to be okay with being put on the back burner while you run around L.A. as if you don’t have a wife and kid at home? Some fucking father you are.”
And before I could even blink, his hand was squeezing my throat again as he pinned me back against the wall. “You fucking take that back,” he growled, just as the bathroom door opened.
Two laughing men stumbled in, immediately stopping and looking at the scene before them with wide eyes when they saw us. Bennett glared at them and aimed his gun.
“Get the fuck out!” he snapped. The men scurried back out the door, leaving us alone. He turned his angry gaze back to me. “Everything I’m doing right now is for him, for the legacy I want to leave behind.”
“You’re hurting me,” I gasped, trying to pry his fingers from my neck.
He roughly pushed me away from him before he pinched the bridge of his nose and released a breath. “Go the fuck home, Aurora. I’m not in the mood for this shit tonight,” he mumbled.
I shook my head, fresh tears burning my eyes. “You’re never in the mood for anything. You’re not in the mood to spend time with your family or to plan a wedding or—”
“That wedding shit was something that you wanted, not me,” he snapped. “I told you we didn’t have time for that shit, and you insisted that we do it now instead of later. It’s fucking selfish.”
I stared at him for a long moment before I sighed in defeat. What the fuck was I fighting for? He’d made it perfectly clear that anything I wanted didn’t matter. All the fighting between us wouldn’t get him to see my side of it anyway. “Okay then, Bennett,” I finally said.
“Okay what?”
“I get it. You’re busy.” I moved over to the sink and grabbed my clutch. “Do what you need to do. I won’t interfere anymore.”
“Where are you going?” he asked as I headed for the door.
“Home.”
“I don’t appreciate you walking away from me when I’m talking to you,” he said, his voice firm.
I ground my teeth and turned back around to face him. “What’s there left to say, Bennett? Your priorities are with the new family, you don’t want to have a wedding right now, and I’m stressing you out by being ‘selfish’ all because I miss my fucking husband. So, I get it. I’ll stay out of the way and let you do what you need to do.”
He sighed deeply and scrubbed his face with his hand. “What do you want me to say, Aurora? I told you this wouldn’t be easy.”
I blinked back my tears and shook my head. “You don’t have to say anything. Good night, Bennett,” I murmured, walking out of the bathroom and leaving him alone.
Silent tears spilled from my eyes on the car ride home. I glanced over at the empty spot next to me. When I’d left home, I was optimistic about how tonight would end. I thought I would’ve had an argument with my husband that would’ve led to a passionate ride home. Instead, I left alone with a broken heart. Hearing how his own family was on the back burner hurt more than I could admit. The wedding was important to me because even though Bennett said he loved me, our marriage still felt like a business deal. I thought the wedding would’ve made my marriage to him feel more genuine, or made us feel more like a family. But it wasn’t even something he cared about or wanted.
I sniffled, wrapping my arms around myself as I focused my gaze on the darkness beyond the window. And when the house slowly came into view, I sighed inwardly. There was no way I could stay here tonight. After the conversation Bennett and I just had, I didn’t want to sleep next to him, see him, or even talk to him. I needed some time away all of this—this house, the family, and him. With the way things had been lately, he probably wouldn’t even notice if I was gone.
“Joe, I need you to wait for me for a few minutes,” I said as he pulled onto the property, slowly driving up the long driveway. “I just need to pack a bag or two for Liam and I and get him in his car seat.”
Joseph looked at me in the rearview mirror. “Everything okay?” he asked, concern lacing his voice.
I wiped away a few stray tears and nodded. “Yeah. I just need a break from everyone, that’s all.”
“Okay then. I’ll wait for you,” he said. I got out of the car and rushed into the house, knowing I didn’t have much time. I didn’t want to run into Bennett on the way out of here, so I knew I needed to be quick. The house was quiet as it usually was at this hour, the security team the only people milling about. They all nodded to me as I passed, some of them with curious looks etched onto their faces when they saw me. I was sure I looked a mess. With the makeup that stained my fingertips when I wiped my eyes, I knew my makeup was all over the place and I was sure that my face was a little bruised by now.
I ran up the stairs, my heart racing in my chest as I burst through my bedroom doors and immediately headed for the closet. Grabbing my suitcase, I quickly packed four days’ worth of clothes and shoes and grabbed a few toiletries from the bathroom before zipping it up. I changed into a soft sweater and leggings, slipping my feet into a pair of sandals before tossing my dress on the bed to signal that I’d been here. I kept my head on a swivel, listening to make sure I didn’t hear Bennett’s voice as I grabbed my bag and headed to Liam’s room.
Carrie turned to look at me when I entered, continuing to bounce my son in her arms. “What’s wrong?” she asked with a frown, her eyes dropping to my bag. “Are you leaving?”
“I need some space for a couple of days,” I mumbled as I approached her, gently taking Liam from her arms. He looked up at me with his big brown eyes, giving me his handsome, toothless grin. I almost wanted to cry again. This sweet, innocent boy couldn’t even get the time and attention he deserved from his father because he was too busy chasing after something that Liam didn’t even understand yet. Bennett could hurt me all he wanted, but I refused to allow him to do the same to our son. If that meant that I had to leave him permanently, then it would be something I’d consider.
“What the hell happened? And what happened to your face?” she asked, reaching up to touch my cheek. I flinched away from her.
&
nbsp; “Can you please pack a bag for Liam? I need enough things for him to last for at least four days,” I said instead, focusing my attention to my son. He reached up and rested his hand on my cheek as he usually did when he was sleepy, his beautiful little eyes locked on my face. No matter how hurt, lonely, or angry I was, knowing I had this beautiful boy depending on me helped me push on. Whether or not Bennett was here, I knew that I’d always have my son and my son would always have me.
“Gah,” Liam babbled with a grin, which made me giggle.
“It’s way past your bedtime, handsome,” I murmured to him, kissing his chubby cheek.
“Aurora,” Carrie said firmly, folding her arms across her chest. “Can you tell me why you’re leaving? Does Bennett know you’re—”
“Fuck him,” I snapped, glaring at her. “Either help me or leave me the hell alone.”
“Jesus Christ, sorry,” she muttered with an eye roll, moving over to Liam’s closet to grab his baby bag.
I sighed. It wasn’t her fault that her brother was an asshole. She’d been nothing but supportive and extremely helpful with Liam and the wedding stuff, so she didn’t deserve my frustration. After a few moments of silence, I cleared my throat. “I’m sorry. I’m just…really upset right now.”
“That’s obvious. No offense, but you look like shit,” she said over her shoulder. I watched her grab a few outfits for Liam from his hangers, folding the little clothes and neatly packing them away. “I take it that your meeting with Bennett didn’t go so well.”
I shook my head, the hurt I’d felt moments before melting away to anger. “No. He stormed into the bathroom after me, slapped me, held me at gun point, and then told me that building this mafia family was more important than me and Liam. He also said that I was selfish and that I was stressing him out,” I ground out.
“For fuck’s sake, he’s an idiot,” she muttered with a shake of her head.
“Tell me about it,” I replied, bouncing Liam in my arms.
“So where are you going then?” she asked as she left the closet and headed over to Liam’s changing station.
I shrugged. “I think I’m gonna go to a hotel for a few days. I don’t want to be around him or anyone in La Fedeltà for that matter.”
“That’s understandable.” She grabbed another small bag and packed Liam’s diapers, wipes, and bath things. “So, I guess I can meet you at the bridal shop tomorrow then?”
I dropped my gaze. “No. I’m going to cancel the appointment,” I murmured.
“Why?” Carrie asked, pausing in her packing.
“Bennett doesn’t want the wedding. He told me it was selfish of me to want to have it now knowing how busy he is,” I stated, tears burning my eyes again. “It’s like everything that’s important to me doesn’t mean shit to him. I wanted to do something special for us, but he never has time for anything unless he wants to hurt me somehow.”
The tears fell before I could even stop them. “Oh, Aurora,” Carrie said as she rushed over to me and hugged me. Everything I’d kept bottled up for the last couple of months came out in waves. I just fucking wished he’d understand. I wished he could figure out how he could build both of the families he’d made. He wouldn’t listen to anything I had to say whenever I suggested that he delegate some things to his men and ever since I had Liam, he didn’t really allow me to be a part of any mafia business. It was like he was purposely pushing me away and I hated it. But there wasn’t anything I could do about it now.
I pulled myself together and sniffled. Carrie grabbed a baby wipe and dabbed my tears away, her own eyes glossy as she rubbed my arms. I looked down at Liam, who now slept soundly in my arms without a single care in the world. He was too young to understand what was going on, and sometimes I wished this situation didn’t both me so much. Maybe Bennett needed to realize what it felt like to lose what he claimed wasn’t important to him right now.
The thought of him made me realize that my time was quickly winding down. I had no idea if Bennett left directly after I did or if he still had business to deal with in the basement, but I needed to be out of here before he got here. I cleared my throat and looked to Carrie.
“I need to get out of here before he gets here. Can you help me?” I asked.
“Sure. I’ll grab the bags,” she said.
I nodded and grabbed Liam’s car seat from the floor of his closet and slowly got on my knees. He whined slightly as I gently put him in the seat, eagerly taking the pacifier I offered him before falling back to sleep.
“Ready?” Carrie whispered from the door.
“One sec,” I murmured, quickly buckling Liam into his car seat and rising to my feet. I took a quick look around to make sure I wasn’t forgetting anything before grabbed the handle and followed Carrie out of the room and down the stairs.
Joseph got out of the car when we stepped outside, quickly taking the bags from Carrie and putting them in the trunk.
“Please call me to at least let me know you’re safe,” she said as she hugged me.
I nodded. “I’ll have to call you from the hotel’s phone. I’m turning my cell phone off so that Bennett doesn’t try to track me,” I muttered, my eyes scanning the darkness beyond the property’s gate to make sure he wouldn’t appear.
Carrie gave me a sad smile. “I’m sorry things didn’t work out tonight. Hopefully he’ll come to his senses.”
“I doubt it.” I moved toward the car and then paused, looking back to her. “Please don’t tell him where I am.”
“I don’t even know what hotel you’re going to,” she reminded me. “But I won’t tell him anything.”
“Swear to me, Carrie,” I pleaded.
She sighed softly. “I promise I won’t, Aurora,” she said. “Now go before he catches you leaving anyway.”
Joseph retrieved the base for the car seat from my Mercedes and secured it into the backseat, nodding to me before getting back into the driver’s seat.
“I’ll call you,” I said to Carrie before I got inside, snapping Liam’s seat into the base. Carrie closed the door behind me, watching us as we pulled away. I reached into my clutch and grabbed my phone, quickly turning it off before we left the property. My heart pounded in my chest as we made our way through the gates and back onto the road, heading for the city. I released the breath I didn’t know I was holding and relaxed into the seat. I focused my attention to my sleeping son, slipping my finger into his little hand. His hand tightened on my finger, his mouth idly sucking on his pacifier as he slept.
Mommy will always be here for you, my handsome boy, I thought to myself as I gently stroked the top of his hand. Sometimes it was painful to look at him when I missed Bennett too much. Liam looked so much like his father with his dark hair, beautiful brown eyes, and pouty little lips. And as angry as I was with Bennett, I really did understand where he was coming from. But it didn’t make his words hurt any less. If I were being honest, I felt as if he and I were going backwards. I just felt as if I were just his pet that he happened to marry and have a baby with, someone who wasn’t important but would be around whenever he wanted to use me.
“Ma’am, the boss calling,” Joseph said, breaking into my thoughts.
I rolled my eyes. “You can answer it, but don’t tell him you’re taking me somewhere else,” I murmured, keeping my eyes on my son. I listened as Joseph answered his phone.
“Yes, sir,” he answered and listened for a few moments. “Yeah, I took her home…yes, sir…um…” He glanced at me in the rearview mirror, and I tightly shook my head. “No, she didn’t say anything to me on the ride home. Yeah…I’m not really sure…oh, no problem, Boss. Good night.” He hung up the phone with a sigh.
“What’d he say?” I asked after a few moments.
“He wanted to know if you were okay.” He glanced at me in the rearview mirror. “He’d wanted to know if you said anything to me about what happened and whether or not you’d turned your phone off because he was going straight to voicemail.”
“Are you gonna be okay though?”
“I don’t have a choice,” I said with a sigh. “I just need a few days to myself.”
“Well, we’re back in the city limits,” he said as we passed the sign signaling that we were back in Los Angeles. “Where should I take you?”
“The Chateau Marmount in West Hollywood,” I said and focused on the passing scenery outside. “Can I ask a favor?”
“Sure.”
“If he asks, don’t tell him where I am.”
He was silent for a long moment before he sighed. “That could get me into a shit load of trouble, ma’am,” he said.
With the way Bennett reacted to me tonight, I wouldn’t doubt that Joseph withholding information from Bennett could end up costing him his life. I definitely didn’t want to endanger anyone, but I didn’t want Bennett trying to find me when I didn’t want to see him right now.
I nodded. “You’re right. I don’t want to jeopardize your safety just because I’m angry at him.”
He glanced at me through the rearview mirror. “I appreciate it.” After a short beat of silence, he added, “He sounded a bit sad on the phone when he called. Whatever fight you guys had…I think he’s feeling bad about it,” he murmured.
I rolled my eyes. He should feel bad. The shit he’d said to me was completely out of line and hurtful. If I didn’t have Liam, I would’ve packed my things up forever ago and flew back to South Carolina to live my life without him. He took me for granted because he expected me to always be at home waiting for him like a good little wife, but he would see what it’d be like to walk into our home to see that me and his son weren’t there.
“Well, he can stew in his guilt for the night. Maybe he’ll finally realize what he has when he realizes it’s temporarily gone,” I muttered, more so to myself. Neither of us said anything else as Joseph drove to the hotel. In the back of my mind, I couldn’t help but to wonder if Bennett would even care that we were gone. With how angry he was at me at the club, I wouldn’t even be surprised if he was happy that I wasn’t home to nag him as soon as he walked through the door.
Rules of Bennett: The Complete Collection Page 66