Chapter 5 Friendly Warnings

• I had no idea about the passage of time. I just lay there with my eyes closed, unable to sleep.
• I heard the door open, and my senses immediately jolted to life. I knew, and I strongly felt it was Leandro; otherwise, there would have been a knock.
• I closed my eyes even tighter. I was facing away from the door, so he wouldn't notice that I was pretending to be asleep.
• His cellphone rang, and he quickly answered it.
• "Hello," he said in a low voice. "I'm home."
• I tried to sense what they might be talking about, but I couldn't glean much due to Leandro's terse responses.
• "Tomorrow. Do that, Enzo." And their conversation ended.
• I heard some noises that I thought were Leandro moving around. The bathroom and walk-in closet doors opened and closed. I caught a whiff of Leandro's cologne as he exited.
• I opened my eyes. Suddenly, I felt hungry and remembered that I hadn't eaten dinner earlier.
• "Bella…"
• I pretended to be asleep again, but it was too late as Leandro was already standing in front of me. I raised my gaze to him, and the dim light from my lampshade illuminated his face.
• "You haven't eaten dinner, why is that?"
• I sat up and looked at the table near the bed. I saw a tray of food there. I swallowed hard and averted my gaze.
• "I don't want to eat alone.” I lost my appetite when they told me you wouldn't be coming home to eat with me. I didn't say that to him; I kept it to myself.
• I mustered the courage to look directly into Leandro's eyes. I still couldn't quite decipher his thoughts or feelings. His eyes remained calm yet cold.
• "Then, let's eat. I had the food sent here. You're not going to sleep with an empty stomach." He turned away from me and went to the table to arrange the dishes.
• "I'm not hungry—"
• "What did I tell you about talking back to me?"
• Right, I need to obey him.
• "Let's eat, Bella."
• I lifted my head again and looked at Leandro, who was now seated in a chair. That's when I noticed there were two plates on the table.
• I stood up and walked towards him. I examined the spread of food and felt my mouth water.
• "Aren't you hungry yet?" What time is it, anyway? I thought he were going to eat at the office.
• "I already ate," he said. "But if you want to eat with someone, I can eat again. Now, sit."
• I felt like a puppy, taking a seat where he wanted me to. I bowed my head in embarrassment, especially when he started putting food on my plate.
• "Don't skip your meals again."
• I bit my lip and secretly smiled to myself. He's not so bad after all... I guess?
• ~*~
• My cellphone rang, and I picked it up with excitement as I saw my sister Izzy's name.
• "Izzy!" I greeted her.
• "Wow! That's new. It was rare for me to hear you all so cheery, Bella," Izzy chuckled from the other end, mirroring my smile. "I love the energy."
• My mood at home was typically gloomy. Who wouldn't be if you were treated poorly by your own father?
• I joined in Izzy's laughter. "Did you call for a reason? Is something wrong?" My smile faded as I realized that maybe my absence from home meant my abusive father was now targeting my sister.
• "No, I just wanted to check in on you. I wanted to know if your husband is treating you well," Izzy sighed. "I hope he is."
• "Don't worry, Izzy, I'm fine. I'm being treated well here," I remembered Leandro's actions for me. He might not be very vocal, but you could see it in his actions. Though, I admit, he's still intimidating. I just tried not to dwell on the thought of him hurting me.
• "Good to know that. By the way, Mia came over. She didn't know your current address? I gave her the address and your phone number. She said she couldn't reach you, and I told her you changed your number. She wasn't there at your wedding, right?"
• Mia is my best friend. We've been classmates and friends since elementary school. She couldn't attend my wedding because she was working abroad at the time. We have another friend, Isaac. He's living in a different country now, so he couldn't make it to my wedding either. Although, he mentioned planning to visit us here.
• "Oh, right. I haven't talked to Mia yet," I said. "I didn't know she was coming here. I haven't checked my social media either. Maybe she's been trying to contact me, but I haven't noticed. Thanks, Izzy. I'll call her later."
• My sister and I talked about a few more things before she had to leave.
• I quickly opened all my social media accounts. I wasn't wrong; my friends had been trying to reach me.
• I called Mia, especially when I saw she was online. She answered quickly.
• "Mia!" I greeted her.
• I hadn't talked to her much since her vacation in Hawaii. She mentioned the weak signal there and how she was trying to find herself, so she was staying away from social media.
• "How are you? Have you found yourself yet?" I laughed gently, teasing my friend. I could always be candid with them. When I'm with my friends, I can be myself without restraint. So when they left and I was alone here, I felt really lonely. It's a relief that Mia is back.
• "Silly! Just soul-searching. Anyway, how's married life? Is your husband treating you well? I thought Isaac and I would be the first to get married, and you beat us to it! The universe really has some unexpected plot twists!" Mia said to me.
• I smiled at her and told her everything she needed to know. She mentioned that she's also planning to visit my place, but it might not be anytime soon.
• "What's important is that you've escaped your father's clutches! I've been telling you to leave that house for a while now, but I guess, yeah, when you did try to leave, your father's reaction was beyond terrible. I don't want to even think about it."
• I didn't want to dwell on it either. "I'm okay here. Nothing like that is happening," I assured her. The only issue was that Leandro was often not at home due to his busy schedule.
• "Describe your husband to me. I tried to look him up on the internet, but there's nothing! There are a few articles about their business success, but there are hardly any pictures! I saw some of his relatives, but Leandro David De Angelis? I couldn't find a single photo of him! He's super private."
• I fell silent at her words. How could I describe Leandro to her without exaggerating? Trying to find the right words for Leandro felt like grasping at thin air. I'd said before, there are no adequate words for that man.
• "Well, he's the typical bachelor type of man. Just like that."
• "Wow, your description of him was so vivid, I can totally picture him!" she sarcastically remarked. I just laughed it off.
• I couldn't put Leandro into words properly. In my mind, I could describe him, but when it came to verbalizing it, it was difficult. It was as if I was always fumbling for words when it came to him. I'd said it before, there were no adequate words for that man.
• Leandro is incredibly attractive and striking, with his piercing, dark eyes that can make you lose yourself when he looks at you. He's tall, well-built, and strong. He's also mysterious, which I think adds to his appeal for others. And did I ever mention that he has an armband tattoo? I noticed it when he rolled up his sleeves, but I never had the chance to examine the tattoo because I always felt unfocused whenever he was around.
• "Is he there right now?"
• "No, he's at the office. He's a CEO. He's always busy and doesn't have much time for his personal life." I sounded like a disappointed wife, but I don't know, maybe I've become too comfortable when Leandro is around, even though my comfort came with a hint of fear.
• "Oh, tell me about your honeymoon now! I want all the details!" And she made a giggling sound on the other end.
• "Stop it!" It reminded me of our first night with Leandro. Well, it was passionate. He was gentle yet with a hint of roughness. Maybe he was being cautious because he knew it was my first time. “The problem was, he left me the next morning.”
• He insisted it was for my safety, but... well, it still bothers me.
• "What?!" Mia was torn between laughing and anger after hearing what happened. "Wait, should I be laughing?"
• "Just laugh," I told my friend.
• "He left you after your first night together? What kind of husband does that?"
• I couldn't answer that question, not even to Mia. Even I was still questioning it. Despite Leandro having an alibi, the lack of details he provided continues to haunt my thoughts.
• "Maybe he won't physically hurt you, but he might hurt you emotionally. Emotional and mental abuse can be just as severe as physical abuse, girl."
• She hit a nerve with that comment. It was like an invisible slap to my face when her words sank in.
• "But maybe I'm wrong. I haven't met him, so I shouldn't jump to conclusions just yet," she sighed deeply. "Let's meet soon, okay? Always remember, if you need anything, Isaac and I are here for you. I'm just one call away, Bella. Don't think you'd ever be a bother to us. Bye for now. See you soonest. Love you!"
• I thanked her and said my goodbyes. I hung up and sat on the edge of the bed.
• "Ma'am Bella?"
• The silence in the room shattered as someone knocked on the door. I got up to answer it and saw Nicola.
• "Ma'am, I'm just here to let you know that you have an appointment with Doctor Ramirez at 2 pm today."
• Appointment? Why do I have an appointment? I couldn't recall needing to see a doctor.
• "Mr. Leandro David De Angelis was the one who scheduled you with an OB-GYN today."
• "OB-GYN?" I had to repeat it, thinking I might have misheard. "Why do I need to see an OB-GYN?" Leandro wanted this? For what?
• "Yes, Ma'am. I don't have the details, but I believe the doctor will explain everything when you meet. Both Sir and the doctor will discuss it."
• I stopped questioning Nicola since it seemed she didn't know more details and was just following orders to inform me about the appointment.