Chapter 3 Jealousness

Without taking his eyes off his brother, Dimitri held the door open.

"Get out, Patrick."

"Dimitri..."

"Now, Patrick!"

The tension between the two was palpable, Juliana could feel it from afar. And before going towards the door, without looking at Dimitri, Patrick whispered in Juliana's ear.

"I know your secrets, Juliana. And this is not a threat, it's a warning!"

And without saying anything else, and without protesting, he walked to the door, without even looking back, without even looking at Juliana or Dimitri. With only his towel on, and before leaving, as if delivering one last blow to an opponent, Patrick stared at Juliana in a way that made her feel intimidated, threatened. Patrick's words made Juliana shiver, completely afraid.

Juliana felt chills run through her entire body, as she tried to remember something she might have said to Patrick while she was drunk... and heard Patrick's words echoing over and over in her head.

"I know your secrets, Juliana."

"I know your secrets, Juliana."

"I know your secrets, Juliana."

"I know your secrets, Juliana."

She had lost her peace. And she felt that she had also lost her security. She felt vulnerable, she felt exposed...in ways she had never even imagined possible. The thoughts kept echoing...

"It's a warning!"

"It's a warning!"

"It's a warning!"

"It's a warning!"

With effort and without any help from Dimitri, who now seemed to hate her even more, if that could be possible, Juliana went to the bathroom, and as she looked in the mirror, what she saw was a pitiful image of herself.

In her eyes Juliana could only see unanswered questions: What did Patrick know about her? Why had he tried to intimidate her before leaving the room? She was no longer sure that she was safe. The uncertainty of what Patrick knew about her, the countless possibilities of what Juliana could have told him while she was completely drunk, seemed like a tornado in her mind, quickly destroying her mental sanity.

Completely terrified and panic-stricken at not knowing what Patrick knew about her, Juliana allowed herself to linger in the shower longer than necessary. She didn't want to face Dimitri's eyes. She didn't want to think about everything that had happened in the last few hours.

She decided that she would leave the bathroom as soon as everything was quiet, and maybe, who knows, Dimitri was already asleep.

But as soon as he returned to his room, Dimitri was standing there in front of the window, looking out, on his back. The suitcases already packed beside the suite door had Juliana confused... but it was a fact that she understood what was happening.

"I have done my part, Juliana. We are married. I expect to receive the signed divorce contract within thirty days. Nothing more than that."

"Why do you hate me, Dimitri?"

"You, Juliana, are the reason for my misfortune. Because of you, I saw everything I had crumble before my eyes without being able to do anything about it. Because of you, Juliana, I lost everything. And I hate you for it."

The contempt in his eyes was as clear as water to Juliana... and deep inside she knew the reason for such hatred.

Juliana knew what this marriage to Dimitri represented. She knew what the divorce, which would happen in thirty days, meant. But nothing compared to what she felt when she thought about what Patrick knew about her. But nothing hurt more than the desire to have her freedom back, which ran and burned in her veins.

***

It was already night, and Juliana was still completely alone, Dimitri had left just after dawn, and until that moment, he had not even given any sign of life.

Juliana was completely bored when she decided to enter his room. She had often found herself wondering what the playboy was like in private, what secrets he hid in his room...

Juliana had stayed longer than necessary in front of the door, wondering if she should really do that, invade the privacy of the man she would live with for only a few more days and who she didn't intend to see again in her life. Juliana had held the doorknob of the bedroom door for longer than it would take to open it. And the instant she succumbed to curiosity, in a breath of air, Juliana was hit by Dimitri's scent, which made her heart race.

Before she could regret it even more, Juliana closed the door and ran to her own room, and was not surprised to find that her cheeks were red.

And there, aware of her transgression, and of the sensations she felt being aroused in her innermost being, she decided that the best thing she could do was to remain in her room, as far away from her husband as she could by contract.

Juliana couldn't stop thinking about what Patrick knew about her, the thought of what she herself might have told him while she was drunk haunted her. She knew the risks she was taking if her secrets were revealed ahead of time.

Restless, being completely consumed by her thoughts, completely terrified at the thought of what Patrick knew and what she might do, Juliana was pacing back and forth in her room, when she suddenly heard Patrick's voice in the hallway.

This was the opportunity she needed to confront him, and she would not miss this chance.

In a rush, almost on the verge of despair, which she was desperately trying to hide, Juliana opened the door and followed the sound of Patrick's steady footsteps and voice, which was already on the stairs.

"Patrick!"

"Little sister-in-law, what a surprise! After three days you decided to come out of hiding?"

"What do you know about me, Patrick?"

"Are you worried, Juliana?"

"What secrets do you know about me, Patrick?"

Her head spun around in search of an answer to disguise her concern, but nothing came to mind, nothing that made sense at least.

"Don't look so worried, my dear, when the time is right you will know? By the way, I believe your attire is completely inappropriate for the party.", Patrick checked the time on the rolex on his wrist. "We're even late."

"What party?"

"Didn't your husband tell you? Typical Dimitri to do that. Let's go. Change your clothes. We'll go together."

"What party is this, Patrick?"

"Don't ask so many questions, girl. And hurry up, I don't have all night to wait for the princess."

"Party? What the hell kind of party is this that they didn't even tell me about?"

In her mind, thousands of thoughts went back and forth, none of them making sense. But she knew that if Dimitri was at the family party alone, soon their marriage would be questioned, and that was completely out of the question.

"I'll be back in a minute."

Juliana hurried back to her room, and in her closet she looked for a dress that would fit her, she needed to at least feel safe.

Juliana felt her hands sweat, completely cold. The idea of not knowing what she would face at that damned party made her tense and anxious, more than she wanted to be.