Chapter CHAPTER CIII
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Sophia gripped the kitchen counter tightly. Her head felt heavy, and she breathed in, then out, trying hard to control her breathing.
"She was the only woman I ever loved my whole life,"
Her heart sank deeper in her stomach, and she shut her eyes tight, biting down on her lower lip.
She wasn't meant to feel jealous of her late mother-in-law. It was normal for every son to love his mum. It was a normal thing for a son to love his mum, so she wasn't meant to feel jealous of the lady. She didn't know who Chase's mum was, but from the way he said those little things about her, it was obvious he loved her so much.
It hurt. It hurt her so badly that Chase loved someone else but wasn't even able to reciprocate her own feelings. But that person was his mum, right? It was normal. She was meant to understand. She couldn't. She couldn't understand that fact or come to terms with it.
Sophia moved away from the counter and opened the refrigerator. She took out a bottle of water and uncapped it, then gulped down half of its contents.
"Trouble in paradise?"
Sophia slightly jumped in her place. The bottle fell off from her hand to the tiled floor, and the remaining contents spilt out of the bottle.
She abruptly turned to the lady standing by the doorway, smiling at her coyly. "Saige,"
"You look troubled," Saige walked into the kitchen. "Can I be of help?"
Sophia retorted. "No,"
"Oh -"Saige's words died in her throat, and her smile died when her eyes fell on Sophia's ring finger. She frowned at the wedding band on the finger.
Sophia followed Saige's line of sight, and the moment she realized what she was looking at, her eyes widened, and she quickly hid her hand behind her back.
That was when Saige looked up at Sophia, who was staring back at her. "Why do you have a ring on that finger?" She pointed towards the direction where Sophia had hidden her hand. "And that too, a wedding band," "It's none of your business," Sophia said. She made her way to walk past Saige, but the latter was having none of it.
She grabbed Sophia by the arm and shoved her back into the kitchen. "Who are you married to? And when did that happen?"
Sophia tried to maintain her fearless posture. "I said it's none of your business. Let me go,"
"Not until -" That was when Saige's eyes fell on the tattoo on Sophia's shoulders. She stared back into her eyes. "Why do you have Chase's initials on you? Why do you have a tattoo of his initials?" Sophia said nothing.
"You little minx!" Saige hurled herself towards Sophia. She gripped her hair in her fists as if she would pull them off. "You aren't as innocent as you look, right?"
Sophia held Saige's wrists, trying to push her away. "Let go off me, Saige," She cried out.
"You're a betrayer!" Saige shrieked. "How dare you get a tattoo of my husband's initials on yourself?"
Saige was stronger than Sophia. As a lady born into a mafia world, she had been trained. Sophia was no match for her, and it scared Sophia that she would kill her. "Let go, Saige," She cried again. "You're hurting me,"
Saige gripped Sophia's hair tighter without letting go.
It was either one of them against the other.
Adrenaline rushed through her body the moment Sophia felt her head being jerked up before the counter. Before Saige could hit her head against the counter, Sophia held onto her shoulders and harshly pushed her away from herself. As a result of the harsh impact of Sophia's push, Saige hit her waist hard on the kitchen counter. She winced out in pain. She lost her footing and went toppling down the floor but before she could reach the ground, Chase held her shoulders firmly.
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She was lucky he had reached the kitchen just in time to save her from further embarrassment.
He stared at Sophia, who was breathing heavily with her hair out of place and a few strands of it sprawled all over her face. "What's going on?"
Looking at Chase's hand on Saige's shoulder doubled Sophia's anger, and she fisted her hands beside her, glaring at his hands.
On noticing Sophia's anger, Chase helped Saige balance on her feet before dropping his hands beside him. "I asked a question," He didn't break eye contact with Sophia. "What happened here?"
"Why don't you ask your wife who, instead of minding her own business, prefers to poke her nose in other people's affairs?" She bit out.
"You call what I did poke nosing?" Saige shrieked, trying hard to ignore the pain on her waist. "You have a fucking tattoo of my husband's initials on your shoulder and expect me to just keep quiet about it?"
"I don't care whether you complain about the tattoo or not. It's my skin and I'll do what I want to do with it," Sophia remarked. "You shouldn't have attacked me first,"
"I don't regret my actions and I will do it again if need be,"
Before Saige could get to her, Sophia grabbed a knife from the knife-stand and pointed it at her. "If you come any closer, I swear, I'll slit your throat. Try me," Her hands shook as she held the knife. She wouldn't do as she threatened. She had no violent bone in her body.
Saige stopped and turned to Chase, who was staring at them both. "Are you listening to what she's saying? She isn't even as innocent as everyone thinks she is,"
"This isn't about innocence, Saige, so don't underestimate me," Sophia said, her voice shaking, and Saige turned to face her. "I can do anything for the man I-"
Chase cut her off. "Sophia," He walked towards her and snatched the knife from her hand. When he dropped the weapon on the kitchen counter, he gripped her arm and pulled her out of the kitchen with him, towards his room, ignoring Saige. "Let go off me!" Sophia yanked her arm from his grip the moment they walked into his room. "Go and meet her. She's hurt,"
"Are you out of your mind?" He asked. "Why did you have to threaten her?"
"Ask her why she attacked me first,"
"You're being childish, Sophia," He said.
"Well then, I think you'd love to know that your wife is being unreasonable at the moment, "She retorted back, folding her arms across her chest.
Sophia wasn't the type to act like that, but Saige had been getting on her nerves with her attitude. It wasn't helping at all that Chase was keeping their relationship secret because of Saige.
"Stop saying it like that. You're my wife," He bit out. "You are my legal wife,"
"I don't see you treating me as one," She dropped her hands beside her and walked closer to him. "What type of husband tells his wife he won't be there with her forever?"
"Dammit, Sophia,"
"Let me go, Chase," She muttered, her voice full of pain. "If you won't give me what I want, let me go,"
The thought of letting her go burned his ego. He couldn't let her go. Not until he took his last breath.
Chase took her off guard and gripped both of her arms, then shoved her against the wall. He gritted out. "We both know that's impossible,"
She stared into his eyes, not backing down. "Then reciprocate my feelings,"
"You don't tell people to love you back,"
Tears welled up in her eyes. "You made me love you,"
"You shouldn't have," He said, caressing her cheeks. It was so surprising how the atmosphere between them both had changed all of a sudden. He dipped his head and placed small kisses all over the tattoo on her shoulder. "Forget about love, Gattina. What matters is that we belong to each other,"
{"Kitten"}