Chapter 14: Test his patience

"Break the door down if you want," Soraya’s voice carried sharply through the wood paneling. "It’s not opening tonight."

Santino let out a sigh. "Fine," he muttered, his jaw tightening. "Let’s see how long you can keep running from your husband." He turned on his heel and walked down the corridor to the adjoining suite.

He stretched out across the mattress, staring up at the vaulted ceiling with an arm slung over his eyes.

For a man accustomed to having every directive executed instantly without question, spending his wedding night locked out of his own bedroom was frustrating.

Still, as the silence of the room settled in, his mind drifted back to the afternoon everything changed.

Six months ago at the recruitment fair hosted in Sicily. He had only attended out of obligation as a corporate representative, slipping away toward the side corridors the moment the formal sessions ended.

Rounding a corner near the offices, a woman hurried past, bumping against his shoulder and stumbling slightly.

"I am sorry," she murmured and apology, keeping her head down before moving on.

Santino had turned to look, but the hallway was already crowded. The only distinct feature he registered in the brief second before she disappeared into the press of people was the unique butterfly mark curving along her exposed forearm.

"Soraya," he had whispered to the empty air.

Opening his eyes in the dim room, Santino rubbed the back of his neck.

Tracking her down had been an exhaustive endeavor.

He had spent two months scouring properties and registers across Sicily, convinced she was hiding within his regional networks, only to discover she had been living quietly in Rome the entire time.

He pushed himself up from the bed with a low sigh.

Working at his collar, he untied the silk bowtie, slipped off his tailored blazer, and unbuttoned his shirt cuffs.

As he rolled the fabric up to his elbows, the dark ink of a tattoo stood out sharply against his skin. He had inked Soraya’s name permanently on his forearm.

"Taming a wild cat is always tough. I can’t stay here tonight. I need to be in the room, right beside her," Santino muttered. However, before heading there, he decided to wash up.

~~~~

Soraya paced the length of the chamber, her teeth nervously worrying the nail of her thumb.

"He was determined to get in tonight. I managed to lock him out for today, but I can’t rely on that every single night. I need a permanent solution to keep him out of my sight and my bed," she muttered.

Quickly stepping across the floor, she pressed her eye to the peephole to check the corridor. The hallway outside was empty; Santino was gone.

She exhaled a sharp breath, turned around, and leaned her back against the solid wood of the door.

"Wait, he must have a key to this room. Why didn’t he use it?" Soraya suddenly thought. In her experience, he wasn’t the kind of man to back down easily. "Maybe he’s trying to play the gentleman tonight. But judging by the look on his face earlier, he was desperate to get inside."

Her cheeks flushed hot at the thought. Catching herself, she slapped her hands against her face. "What are you thinking, Sora? Nothing is ever going to happen between you and him. I don’t love him. If he tries to force anything, I’ll kill him."

Soraya dragged a hand through her hair, wincing as the heavy fabric of the wedding gown began to irritate her skin.

Walking over to the walk-in wardrobe, she opened the doors in search of something comfortable, only to pull out a garment that made her frown.

She held it up. It was a skimpy slip dress that barely brushed her mid-thigh.

"Why are these even here?" she muttered in annoyance, pushing the hanger aside.

She rifled through the rack, but every single nightdress was cut the exact same way. There wasn’t a single pair of pajamas or loose lounge set to be found anywhere in the closet.

Reluctantly, Soraya grabbed a deep blue silk piece. After a frustrating struggle with the gown’s corsetry and pins, she finally shed the heavy wedding dress and pulled the nightwear on.

She walked over to the vanity, unpinned her hair, and began methodically removing the heavy diamond jewelry piece by piece.

"That’s better," she murmured, rolling her stiff shoulders now that the jewelry and gown were finally off.

She walked into the marble bathroom, and thoroughly washed the makeup from her face. After drying off with a fresh towel, she rested her hands on the edge of the counter and stared at her reflection in the mirror.

"If I hadn’t gotten drunk that night, I never would have crossed paths with Santino in the first place," she muttered under her breath.

Her mind began working through the situation, searching for a way out.

"Well, if I make myself completely insufferable, he won’t want to stay married to me for long. Men like him can’t stand a woman who defies them. I just have to do the exact opposite of whatever he likes; disobey every directive, test his patience, and annoy him until he has no choice but to demand a divorce."

A faint smile touched her lips as the plan took shape. If locking the bedroom door was step one, she was more than ready for step two.

Soraya stepped out of the washroom, pausing in the center of the spacious chamber as silver moonlight streamed through the tall casements.

Drawn by the quiet night, she walked over to the curtains and pulled them back to reveal a sprawling view of the grounds below.

She unlatched the window and pushed it open, letting a cool breeze touch her face.

Turning around after a few seconds, she decided to go to bed when the flower vase resting on the end table next to the door shattered with a loud sound.

"Ahhh!" Soraya screamed in fear when the door broke open.