Ruined in Vows (Marchetti Family #3)

32. Dante

Chapter 32

Dante

“ I will only be out of town for two nights. Carmen doesn’t want to be away from the baby for any longer than that,” Caterina tells me from her spot at her vanity table, as she brushes through her long blonde hair.

Leaning against the door jamb, I fold my arms across my chest, responding with a smile, “No problem. I have plenty of work I need to catch up on anyway.”

She turns to face me, her teeth chewing at her bottom lip. She looks resigned, tired, but there is still a little fight left in her eyes.

“Look Luc, I know things have been… strained between us, but we need to figure things out. We are in this marriage forever no matter how we are both feeling. I know you have wanted to take things slow, but it’s been months, and you still haven’t touched me. I feel like I’m putting my life on hold. You’re my husband, and I love you, but I am exhausted with the constant fighting and now you moving into a guest bedroom... something's gotta give. I have needs and so do you. If I didn’t know any better, I would think that you’re getting sex elsewhere but that’s not the case. Are you…” she trails off, sucking in a sharp breath. Caterina watches me quietly for a long minute as if she is determining how to voice whatever it is she has to say. She must have found whatever strength she needed because then she speaks. “If- if you are struggling with getting aroused, then we can see someone,” she rushes out, her eyes wide on me as if she can’t believe she just spoke the words.

My gaze narrows in on her. I bark out a laugh, pushing off the door and closing the distance between us. I leave a little space, so that she can’t grab me, touch me. It would feel like a betrayal to my angel.

Since Allegra left Vegas, it didn’t feel right sharing a bed with my wife, so I promptly moved into a guest bedroom, stating that I needed the space to collect my thoughts. I still kept up the pretense of our marriage, even doing odd date nights but I have never let her touch me, not even so much as a kiss. To say she has thrown several tantrums about the new arrangement would be putting it mildly. Caterina freaked the fuck out.

But by that point, I knew it wasn’t because she feared losing her husband but because whatever she was involved in with Vincenzo, was not going to plan. All Cat’s bullshit about having needs was just that. My wife may have thought I was none the wiser, but I knew full well, she was fucking Benito. Not that I cared. As long as she was getting sex from him, I had a better chance at keeping her away from me. It suited me just fine. The thought of touching her before Allegra waltzed back into my life made me nauseous, but after… it made me feel physically sick.

We were no further forward in finding out the Conti’s involvement in all this, and though it was frustrating, I had to come to terms with the fact that we may never find out the reasonings behind this.

Both Nico and I highly suspected Riccardo, my principessa’s fiancé, was involved, but trying to find the evidence to support that theory proved challenging. Whoever orchestrated this, had covered their tracks well. So far, we have found no paper trail.

“My cock works just fine.” I tell her. It’s not a lie. There have been many times I have jacked off in the shower to thoughts of Allegra. And the times we have been on video calls, when my woman has teased me by playing with her pretty little pussy… fuck. I’m getting hard just thinking about it. But I need to play this cool. Let Caterina believe that I am the problem, and not my conniving, lying wife.

Blowing out a breath, my next words taste like poison on my tongue. “When you get back from L.A., we can look at talking with someone about our, my ,” I correct, making her smile in agreement. “My problem. You're right. I haven’t had the urge or desire to be intimate with you.”

Her face falls. “Me?” she croaks, looking hurt, and I rush to explain. I can’t have her leaving thinking it’s her. She will have Vincenzo on my case, and I can’t risk that, not when Nico is on his way to Vegas to execute stage one of our mission. “You or anyone . You’re my wife, Cat. But since my injury, I don’t know,” I exhale, running a hand through my hair. “I just don’t have the inclination for sex.”

She rises from her seat, stepping right up into me. I resist the urge to move away from her, locking every muscle down, and standing in place while she runs a red painted talon down my shirt covered chest. Cat grins up at me, a salacious look on her face as she licks her lips.

“Thank you for telling me this. For being honest with me. I think it’s the first step for us, moving forward. I know it’s hard, but maybe Viagra is the way forward?” she says hopefully, and I narrow my eyes. Cat waves me off, chuckling. “There is a misconception that it is just for old men that can’t get it up, but that’s not the truth. If it helps, then there is no shame in using it. But first, we will talk to a doctor. Or maybe try couple’s therapy?”

My need to recoil from her is high. I also have to hold back the snort, so desperate to leave my mouth. This bitch is crazy if she thinks I need any pill to help me get hard. All I need is Allegra. She is my walking, talking Viagra. One look and I am hard as stone.

But I can’t exactly tell Caterina that, so I force a smile, nodding at her delusional statement.

“Sure. Whatever it takes,” I add, laying it on thick. Cat smiles dreamily up at me, but when she goes in for a kiss, I step back, leaving her hanging. She frowns.

Clearing my throat, I fish my cell phone out of my pants pocket, pretending I have a call and it’s the reason for my rejection.

Looking at my screen, I look back to my wife. “It’s work. I need to take this.” Turning, I ignore the hurt look on her face, reminding myself that she is fucking Benito, and this marriage is as fake to her as it is to me.

“Luc?” she calls.

Pausing, I glance over my shoulder. She smiles, but it's fake. “I will see you when I get home.”

“You will,” I lie. “Have fun with the girls.” And then I leave the room, and the woman who has pretended to be my wife for the last six months.

Caterina won’t see me again, and I’m hoping I never lay eyes on her either.

Because there will not be a home or a husband for her to come back to.

Not by the time Nico and I are done with it.