* * *
Nico, Nico. At two thirty in the morning he still hadn’t come home. Beyond sick, Fausta paced the floor. When she heard the ding on her phone she checked the text message.
I’ve gone to the office. Won’t be home until after work.
This was a Nico she didn’t recognize. She’d done this to him.
Beyond tears, she lay awake until midmorning, soul-searching. As she sorted through their conversation, it stunned her that he thought she still loved Dego. He couldn’t be jealous of him!
But the more she dug for answers, the more she understood that the orphan boy hadn’t owned anything of his own. He didn’t want to belong to anyone but his own parents. Everything he’d received while growing up had been given to him by well-meaning strangers. He didn’t have anything of his own until he’d earned his first paycheck as a doctor. Even then he sent money to Angelo.
All his life had been a fight to compete and survive. Then he’d met her, and another kind of fight had ensued. He’d overcome the great obstacle in his mind to marry her knowing she was royal. Yet no sooner had they gotten married than Basil had shown up with the queen’s proposition. And what had Fausta done?
She’d flung Nico’s love for her in his face when it was the last thing she’d ever meant to do. To tell him she’d give him a divorce after the two days of joy they’d just shared was so cruel, she couldn’t believe she’d said it. Fausta needed to repair the damage before any more time passed.
The first thing she did was call his work. His receptionist answered. “Dr. Barsotti’s office.”
“Hello? My name is Eugenia Santi. This is an emergency. Could the doctor see me at the end of the day? It’s a female problem that’s getting much worse.”
“Are you bleeding?”
“No, but the pain is severe.”
“I see. Has he seen you before?”
“Yes, but it was a house call.”
“He has another late patient too, but why don’t you come at five thirty p.m. and I’ll see if he’ll fit you in after that. Otherwise you may have to go to the ER.”
“Thank you.”
The second she hung up, she showered and washed her hair. Then she put on a filmy dress in a blue and yellow print with flutter sleeves. With blue forget-me-not earrings and a splash of her favorite fragrance, she felt ready to take on her unsuspecting husband.
Her heart was thudding so hard she was afraid the patients waiting for him could hear it as she entered the reception room and reported to the receptionist. The woman stared hard at her. “I’m afraid it’s going to be a wait, Signora Santi.” She’d noticed the blue diamond ring Fausta was wearing.
“It doesn’t matter as long as I get to see him.”
After an hour the receptionist told her she could go in. This was a whole new experience for Fausta, who’d never visited him here. Her excitement was off the charts when she entered his impressive-looking book-lined office.
He wore a white lab coat and had been putting something into the computer. When he turned to her, the look on his face was worth all the trouble she’d gone to to surprise him. His eyes devoured her inch by inch.
“I told your receptionist I was having female problems,” she began before he could say a word. “But I lied because it’s a heart problem. The worst kind there is, and it’s so painful no pill or operation can fix it. You see, it’s my husband. I hurt him so terribly, I don’t know how to win him back. At this point my pain is unbearable.
“Please tell me you can help me. Maybe if I explain, you can give me some advice. You see, he has had to fight for everything all his life. He fought for me against all odds. But when it was my turn to fight for him, I told him I wouldn’t stand in his way if he wanted something more. It was the wrong thing to say. All he wanted was me and he has proven it over and over again.
“Dottore? How do I prove that all I want in this life is his love? How do I convince him that what I once felt for a boy from childhood was simple puppy love? I didn’t know the meaning of love until I met my husband. If I don’t get help soon, I’m not going make it.”
Nico’s expression didn’t change as he buzzed his receptionist and told her she could go home.
“If you’ll step into the examining room, I’ll listen to your heart and we’ll go from there.”
Holding her breath, she followed him into the other room.
“Let me help you sit on the table.” He put his hands around her hips and lifted her with ease. Their bodies brushed together, sending a thrill through her. She waited breathlessly as he reached for his stethoscope and started listening to her heart. His jaw was pressed against her cheek. He smelled divine.
“You’re right. A lot of damage has been done. It’s pounding way too hard to be healthy. I want you to lie down.”
Heat swept over her as she lay back. He slid his hands up her arms and pinned her there. His eyes were like lasers as he examined her features. “Your poor husband. You’re so beautiful. He must have a heart attack every time he lets you out in public. My advice is that you go home and make love to him. Never let him go, not even after you’ve convinced him that you love him the way he loves you.”