After a warm shower, Chiara went straight to Laura's bedroom.
She twisted the door knob slowly and extra carefully. But even so, Laura's body jerked and she instinctively grabbed a pillow to cover her head as a shield.
A bile rose in Chiara's throat. That was what broke her heart even further. All the more reason why she'd never leave her alone in the cursed house they were in.
"It is just me, Mamma." Despite her heavy heart at the sight of her mother, Chiara still made an effort to walk up to her.
Laura peered at her, a grin splitting on her exhausted face. The face that mirrored hers. "Oh, it's my baby girl," said Laura.
Chiara grabbed the pillow from her hold and placed it down. "Yes, Mamma. It is just me."
'I know exactly what to do to get you to dance to any tune I want. Stop pushing me.'
Antonio's words have been haunting her since that moment. Her vision began to blur. Again? She thought, panic threatening to expose her.
She leaned down and hugged her mother to hide the storm that was about to crush her.
And like always, as if knowing what was going on inside her chest, her mother patted her back soothingly. She shut her eyes, letting out a breath of relief as warmth spread on her body, before opening them again.
Her gaze landed on the table, and a frown settlen in immediately.
She pulled back from the hug. "Mamma, you haven't eaten yet?" She asked with a deep frown.
Her mother looked at the table, back at her, and then lowered her head. "I can't eat alone, you know that." She uttered in a small voice.
Chiara's eyes closed shut, breathing out, praying for patience. She could hold back her emotions, but there was no guarantee of controlling her tongue.
"One of these days, your'e going to have to learn how to be independent again. I tell you the same thing every day. When are you gonna start listening to me?" She helped her from the bed and both of them sat at the table.
"I know, I know, I'm sorry. Don't get angry at me, sweetheart." Laura said. Chiara didn't like her tone. This wasn't the woman who raised her. She simply wasn't.
"Well, if you are truly sorry, then finish everything on this table. Now." She muttered, bubbles of anger risin deep within her. This was all Antonio! He turned her mother into a woman she couldn't recognize anymore. Her heart clenched.
"Yes, Ma'am." Laura gave her a salute and cackled. Then without wasting time, she began to eat.
Chiara watched her with a faint smile, adding more fruits to her plate.
After breakfast, she placed her back to bed, tucking her in nicely. She drew in a deep silent breath, feeling pain shooting down her throat.
Chiara raised her hand to her vision level. The diamond saprkled around her finger. She then turned to glance at mother's peaceful face.
Sometimes, she wished she never woke up and stayed that peacefully forever in her sleep. But her mother was not a sleeping beauty, and they were definitely not in a fantasy land.
And reality, it never wasted a chance to slap you hard on the face. She, for one, was a living proof and its victim.
Chiara glanced at the ticking clock on the white wall, tapping the desk with her mint-oainted nails. The sunrays spilled in through the floor-length mirror in front of her.
The launching of their art exhibition has been her top priority. And not until she saw to it that everything was settled would she ever rest.
The ring on her finger was a reminder of how much fucked up she was, and she couldn't shake the thoughts that came with it. She sneered.
Me? Marrying Enzo Russo? She thought, her tapping on the keyboard exceeded. And when were these fools going to send her the details? Her eyes fell on the clock again, for the nth time in the past hour.
A notification on her phone stopped all the other thoughts, at least for that particular moment.
"Finally!" She pulled her laptop closer after peaking at the notification bar on her phone. Then jumped straight to her emails and downloaded the document.
A new window opened, showing graphic design of their invitations to the exhibition. She went through it, and only after being satisfied by the layout did she reply with a single word. GO.
Chiara shut the laptop and placed it in its bag before she made other arrangements with their event planners through texts.
She wasn't fond of phone calls. Unless someone she knw was dying, don't ever call her.
Both her and her artists have been working their asses off to make it way more unique than the ones in their past records. They were literally chomping at the bit.
Once the matter was over and off the table, she picked up the laptop bag and climbed down the round stairs.
Her whole art gallery was in white. The walls, the ceilings, and everything else. Because only then could people truly see how magical and colorful their arts were.
Chiara waddled straight to the back room, as they called it. Where her artists did their work. Her feet halted, and her eyes were captivated by the scene before her. The two are at it again. She thought.
Safiya, her painter, was standing between the potter's wheel and her potter, Yusuf. The two were playing around with clay as the wheel spun or whatever it was they were doing. Laughing their hearts out.
Like a fresh scene from a romance movie, her heart melted. It was something she was never going to experience. The corner of her lips lifted lightly, ignoring the tug of her heart.
Chiara cleared her throat , causing them to seprate from each other. She waved them off, "No, by all means, don't stop at my arrival. Continue this sex tease of yours or whatever, just make sure you two don't bang inside my gallery."
Safiya's cheeks reddened, and she lowered her head while Yusuf grinned at me shamelessly. "Aye, boss. Leaving early today?" He asked,wiping his forehead. He forgot that he had clay on his hands and ended up smearing it across it.
Okay, I'm out! She thought. "Yeah, just came to check on you two. See you tomorrow. Do not bang in my gallery." Chiara made a show of 'I see you' with her two fingers before walking out.
"Oh, don't worry. We'll clean up after we're done." Yusuf called out. Chiara could hear Safiya's gasp across the halls. "Stop it, babe. It's not funny!" And the man's booming laugter that followed the next second. She shook her head.
Chiara checked out with her secretary and stranded the building. The two were a married couple. They could fuck all they wanted for all she cared. Just not in her gallery.
The place was sacred to her.