Because Of Love

Talia sat upright, pushed her shoulders back, and tilted her chin up. “I’m well enough. Besides, we need to figure things out before my mother comes.”

Rafe chortled. The one time he’d met the woman she’d expressed her disdain towards him and her disapproval of their relationship very clearly. She hated him the moment she saw him, and Talia explained she was bitter over her father’s abandonment so she took it out on the rest of the male population. But Rafe always thought the instant hate was over the fact that her daughter had found happiness in the arms of a man and she was jealous.

The last thing he needed was the bitter woman making matters worse.

“Inferno, isn’t Carrie enough backup? You’re bringing your mother to live off me too?”

Mr. Garrison cleared his throat, alerting Rafe of his presence in the room. Rafe hadn’t even noticed the small man.

“My client would like to apply for a job. She’ll support her own needs and those of her mother’s with it.”

Rafe shook her head. “Go back home, Talia, to Boston. I’ll write you a check of however much you want if you promise to go back home in the next few days.”

Talia’s shoulders slumped and a pained expression crossed her face for just a moment before it disappeared. “I can’t do that.”

Rafe groaned. “Why the hell not!”

“The doctor advised against it. I need to avoid my triggers, avoid flying, and maintain a healthy environment if I’m to avoid going into early labor.”

Rafe sighed, frustrated, dropping into the seat across from her. “And you think bringing your mother here on top of working is the best environment?”

“What other option do I have?”

She sounded so defeated that Rafe felt like an ass putting her through all this. But none of this was his doing. For hell’s sake she brought it all on herself.

So why am I speaking these words… “What do you want from me?”

“Very well, I think I’ll take it from here,” Mr. Garrison spoke, pushing two folders across the table to him and Angelo. “In those folders I’ve listed the damages and the compensation we are after. For the section under medical care, we’ll be including the bill for today’s doctor’s visit.”

Rafe just watched Talia as her lawyer blabbered away. She rested her head back with her eyes closed as her hands caressed her large belly. He found himself wanting to touch her belly again, hoping that she was suing him for child support because the baby was truly his and not some scheme to get money out of him.

How could he be so wrong about her?

“Scusi, this section accusing Rafe of drugging her, what proof do you have?”

“Come?” Rafe exclaimed, grabbing the opened folder from Angelo’s hand. He read and reread that part, and he still couldn’t believe it. He pushed the folder back to Angelo and turned on Talia. “Why the hell would I drug you?”ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

Talia opened her eyes and stared at him, her eyes brimming with tears. “I’ve been wondering the same thing. They told me-”

“What do you mean they told you?” Rafe demanded.

Angelo placed a hand over his clenched fist and shook his head. “Give her time to answer.”

* * * *

Talia watched as Rafe pulled his fist away and crossed his arms over his chest in silence. She took that as her cue to speak. She took a deep breath before she began, hoping she wouldn’t bawl her eyes out as she spoke. She already had so much going against her with her pregnancy, she couldn’t add her unstable emotions to the mix.

She’d cried when the doctor had told her she was at risk of pre-eclampsia, and the babies’ premature birth and low birth weight. He’d put her on complete bed rest and advised to have the tests ordered by her OBGYN in Boston done so that they would be prepared for any complications. She’d wanted to go back home then but the doctor had told her there was no way he would allow that.

She was stuck in Italy, and the quick getaway she’d planned once everything had been resolved was foiled. She was at Rafe’s mercy, and she hoped he wouldn’t make her regret her decision for retribution.

“When I woke up in the hospital the day after it happened, the doctors told me I had been drugged. They found a mix of Rohypnol and other recreational drugs in my system.” Her breath hitched, and she quickly wiped away the tears running down her cheeks. “Besides the normal effects on me, I don’t know what kind of damage they’ve done to my pregnancy. I need to have tests done and those tests cost money.”

Rafe just stared at her, his face completely expressionless. She’d never seen this cold side of him before and it frightened her. Where was that loving man she knew? Had he been a figment of her imagination? Was this the real Rafael DeLuca?

“This is where I come in,” he commented dryly.

Talia nodded, her stomach in knots. “Yes. I need your money to carry out the tests.”

“If I’m not wrong, Rohypnol messes with short term memory,” Angelo spoke, and Talia knew she was in trouble. If she said yes, there was a great chance she would be walking out of here empty handed.

“So?” she asked defensively.

“So, there is no way you would know who drugged you.”

Talia felt her anger rise. “I wasn’t drugged in a bar. I was drugged in my own home.” She stared pointedly at Rafe, “The home we live in together. No one else but you and I have keys to.”

Something shifted in his eyes and Talia immediately looked down at her worrying fingers on her belly.

He doesn’t believe me, she thought, a lump growing in her burning throat.

“Carrie found me on the floor wearing Rafe’s favorite lingerie.” She rasped.

“And that automatically points the finger at me?” Rafe chortled.

Talia felt her breath catch again and cursed at the onset of another attack. She sat up, fists on the table, closed her eyes, cleared her head and took several deep breathes to keep calm and regulate her breathing. Why does he have to be so cynical?

“Christo! Why the hell are you here if you know you’ll get sick again?” His shaky words were accompanied by his fist banging against the table. It shook, but at least this time she didn’t jump.

She wanted to leave. She wanted to go home. She wanted to be anywhere else but there, at the receiving end of his accusations, anger and nasty attitude. If it were any other time, any other situation… if she was the old Talia, she would have flipped him the finger and sashayed out of there like a boss. But falling in love didn’t just make people venerable, it made the heart easy to bruise. This weak and scared person she’d suddenly become, she didn’t recognize her.

But love wasn’t what had done this to her. It was that night that she couldn’t remember, and everything that came after, especially Rafe’s betrayal. She’d reached her hand out to him in the worst moments of her life and he’d slapped it away, and now, it felt like he was taunting her.

Enough of that, she said to herself, it’s not just you anymore.

When Talia felt calm enough, she opened her eyes and looked directly at Rafe. “The last thing I remember was your call, telling me you were on your way.”

Rafe’s brow creased with confusion. “Talia, I made that call the night before, to your voice mail. I didn’t speak to you that entire day. All I did was drop in on you and saw you,” his jaw clenched, “I saw you with Renaldo.”

“Doing what?” She huffed throwing her hands up. “You keep accusing me of sleeping with your brother and his friend. I haven’t even met Renaldo. You were supposed to introduce us but he never came to dinner, remember?”

Rafe’s face grew pale and Talia felt an uneasy feeling grow at the pit of her stomach. Something wasn’t right, something was awfully wrong.

“Oh shit,” Angelo muttered under his breath.

Talia couldn’t be sure because of how low he said that, but there was a sense of dread in those two words that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand.

“What is it? What’s wrong?”

Angelo looked at her then at Rafe and back at her again. “Talia…”

“No!” Rafe’s voice was barely audible but the order was there. “Just give her everything she wants, except for the job. I’ll provide for her and her mother when she arrives.”

Turning to her, with one finger pointed at her to drive his point home, he said, “Don’t leave the condo again unless your doctor tells you otherwise. This subject is closed.”

He quickly stood up and fled the room without a backwards glance at Talia.

Talia turned to Angelo and the pity in his eyes stopped the question she was about to ask.

Something more had happened that day, more than what Carrie told her. And by Rafe’s reaction, it must have been bad and involved his brother.

Talia’s hands began to tremble and she pressed them tightly together. Could her nightmares have something to do with this? What was it that they were trying to tell her, that everyone except her knew about? She needed to know and she was going to find out one way or the other.