Bargain Bride: The Billionaire’s Forced Wife

THERE WERE NO NEW things in their routine for the past days. Chiara wakes up, helps her husband with his morning routine, goes to work, goes home, then spend the the remaining hours of the day with her husband.

Chiara usually ended her shift at work early to spend more time with her husband. She would finish all of her tasks quickly and efficiently. The only times she will be home late is when they have an urgent meeting at work.

Ezio, on the other hand, spent most of his hours at the safe house, having his physical and speech therapy. The doctor will come to them every two days to monitor his progress. His in-laws were there to supporr and guide him throughout the process when his wife is not around. Dante, much to Ezio’s annoyance, is also in their safe house almost every day.

His best friend really spent the time teasing him instead of helping him, but he knows he can’t do much to get back at him. Dante knew that, of course, that’s why he is living the moment.

Like today, Chiara watched her husband eating with ease. For the past few days, Ezio would have difficulties on eating by himself. Sometimes even spilling some food because of shaky hands. But now, Chiara can’t help but smile because her husband can move his arms faster than before.

“Let’s try to walk again later, okay?” she spoke to her husband as she wiped the food remains beside his mouth. Ezio nodded his head slowly.

Her husband can now stand on his own, but has difficulties on moving his leg to step. The only he can do that is similar to walking is sliding his feet one at a time. His leg cannot support the whole body if the other one will step.

But Chiara didn’t look at it at a negatively sense. She focused on the improvements her husband has and complimented him whenever he can do something new.

The only part of him that had a very slow progress is his speech. He still cannot say a single word, not even his name. However, he can say letters and their sounds.

After they finished eating, Ezio helped in cleaning the table even if he is just standing and not walking like his wife. Chiara is the one who put the dishes in the sink and Fara will take care of it later.

“Do you want to go outside?” Chiara asked her husband. It is already nine kn the morning and the sun is shining brightly. She’s afraid the sun will be too much for Ezio.

Ezio looked outside before shaking his head. After that, he pointed the living room and Chiara alreadt knew what he meant. She guided and supported her husband on stepping slowly towards the room.

It took them almost three minutes to reach twenty meters of distance. She let her husband sat down on the couch. Before Chiara could sit down, her phone rang.

Her eyes instantly widen when she saw the caller ID. She hurriedly answered the call.

“Nick? Is this really you?” she asked. Ezio suddenly turned his head to his wife upon hearing a familiar name. That’s the name of the man who was with Chiara when she bought her dress.

On the other line, Nick spoke. “It’s me, Chichi. I a-” his voice was interrupted when his friend spoke.

“Where did you go?!” she exclaimed. “I was trying to reach you but you wouldn’t respond! I thought something happened to you!”

Nick chuckled on the other line, still laying on the his bed because he has to rest from leg injury. “Something really happened to me, Chichi,” he responded.

“What?” she asked with a confused tone as she sat beside her husband. “What happened?”

Nick told her everything. From his plan to go to Italy, the abduction, the masked men, the boss, his investigation about Ariti, and even how he was saved by his comrades. He gave every information to his friend.

“It’s Giovanni, isn’t it?” she asked after seconds of silence. Ezio squeezed her hand gently and Chiara leaned to her husband for support.

“Yes, I am sure of that, ” Nick answered. “I didn’t see his whole face, but I recognized him even with half of it being covered with a mask.”

Chiara took a deep breath. “They kidnapped you because you were investigating about Ariti Gomez’s case, right?” she asked.

“Yes, ” he replied. “They directly told me not to meddle and investigate about that case.”

“So he is really hiding something about that case,” Chiara stating the fact. Although she has an idea why, she cannot move immediately as her proofs are not enough to pin the suspect.

“By the way, why are you investigating about it?” she asked when she realized something. “I didn’t tell you to work on that part. ”

Nick created a he-he-he sound. “I just thought of doing it. I thought you forgot to tell me so I initiated, ” he said as an excuse.

“Oh really? Well, your initiative lead you to being kidnapped and almost killed,” Chiara said before rolling her eyes to her friend.

“Hey! I was being a good friend,” he defended himself.

“Being a good friend doesn’t require being kidnapped, Nick,” she replied back.

Nick just backed down because he knew his friend wouldn’t stop scolding him unless he stopped making excuses. He surrendered and told his friend that she is right.

“Don’t worry about that case. I’ll handle it, ” she told Nick. “For now, take care of yourself and recover. Just call me if something suspicious happened.”

The call ended after they catch up a little bit. She also shared the news of her husband waking up as she kissed Ezio’s cheeks.

Just as they were about to cuddle, Luigi suddenly entered the leaving room, catching his signor and signora is such intimate position.

“Sorry, I didn’t see anything,” he apologized and was about to left the room to give them privacy.

“Of course you see something,” Ezio thought to himself, annoyed that his time with his wife was interrupted.

Chiara fixed herselc before turning to Luigi. “Did something happen?” she asked.

The assistant nodded before giving a brown envelope to his signora. “A lawyer from the Bonetti Law Firm visited Sigmund Russo in prison, signora.”

Chiara opened the envelope and saw some pictures of a woman, in her late 30s, entering the jail where Sigmund is located. It was small but her identification card that is hanging from her neck has the word “Bonetti” in it.

The next photo has the woman talking to Sigmund inside a visitation cubicle. She doesn’t know how their men got the shots, but it just means they’re efficient.

Other photos has the lawyer showing a paper to the inmate. The contents cannot be seen but Chiara assumed that it is connected to his case.

Ezio just watched his wife and his assistant. He had an idea of what’s happening, because Chiara started telling him what he missed little by little since his condition improved. As of now, he cannot help, but he made a note to himself to make more resources that can help them.

“I have a bad feeling about this,” Chiara spoke. “We may have stopped them from bailing him out, but I am sure they can find another way. Illegal or not. ”

She thought for a moment before giving orders to the assistant. “Bribe this lawyer to stop what she’s doing and oppose Giovanni, ” she said with a blank eye. “If she doesn’t want to work with us, then find a weakness of hers.”

Luigi gulped upon seeing his signora. She now looked like Ezio who is planning something wicked.

“What will I do with the information, signora?” he asked even if he has an idea of what it will be.

“Blackmail her,” she said while shrugging. “Make sure the information is something that can shake her world. That way, she will do what we will tell her.”

Ezio cannot help but to smile and feel proud of his wife. If he can talk, he could have told her how proud he is and for her to keep up a good work.

HOURS PASSED AND LIKE BEFORE, Chiara helped her husband take a half shower before going to bed. At first, Ezio is kind of shy being naked in front of his wife. Of course, they haven’t been this intimate before. He is nervous.

On the other hand, Chiara just told him that she already saw everything he hides because she was the one who cleaned him up when he was still in a coma. Just thinking and imagining that scenario is enough for Ezio to blush.

“Tell me if you cannot reach a part, ” she spoke to her husband while Ezio is trying to clean his back.

Chiara wanted to help her husband, but the doctor said it was good to let him do it to exercise his flexibility.

Afterward, while Ezio is drying his body, Chiara is looking for his pajamas. When she entered the bathroom, she saw Ezio has the towel wrapped on his lower body.

Chiara can’t help but to scrunch her nose. “I told you I’ve already seen it, ” she spoke while walking towards him. “Get naked. You have to put on these pajamas.”

Feeling shy, Ezio removed the towel that covered his intimate parts and blushed when he saw his wife staring at it. Chiara grinned, stopping herself from teasing her husband.

While she was busy helping him button his top, she suddenly heard someone spoke.

“Cara.”

The voice was rasp, weak, and slow, as if it came from someone who has a terminal disease or was beaten. But she knew were that voice came from.

She looked up at her husband who was staring at her with a small and gentle smile. His mismatched eyes filled with love and adoration while focusing on her.

“Is it you?” she asked, her voice cracked on the last part. “Did you call for me?”

Ezio’s smile grew wider. “Cara.”Property © of NôvelDrama.Org.

Chiara couldn’t help herself but to burst into tears. It’s been months since she last heard her husband’s voice, and hearing it now feels so surreal.

She cupped his face. “Can you say it again? Can you really talk now?”

“Cara,” he repeated. Chiara’s body shook as she cried a bucket of tears. She hugged her husband, feeling the heat of his body against her even with their clothes as a hindrance.

Ezio’s pajama is now wet with her tears, but Chiara still couldn’t stop crying. Her husband gently caressed her back while humming slowly.

He touched his wife’s chin and made her look up at him. Ezio pulled her face towards him and made their foreheads and noses close together. Their breath fanned each other’s faces, but the warmth of it is comforting.

With all of his strength and ability, he whispered to her. “Te amo, cara.”