Flash Marriage: Shrewd Wife, Devious Husband
Chapter 239: Opening Up

Chapter 239: Opening Up

"You know Raph is smart, right?" Tony asked.

"Scarily smart, yes. I know. He gives me the chills at times," Marcella said.

Tony looked at her with his mouth agape. Marcella pressed her lips. She could see that Tony was disappointed with her. Her heart was pounding and she had a feeling she was in her father’s room after breaking the rules.

Tony closed his eyes and rubbed his glabella. "Did you by any chance talk about exchanging him for Catherine?"

Marcella’s heart skipped a beat. She gulped down the entire glass of wine in one sitting.

"He didn’t hear that. I was whispering..." Marcella covered her face with her hands.

What have I done?

"I am sorry I couldn’t give you a girl, but, Birdie... What you did is..." Tony didn’t continue. He could see that she was regretting it. He didn’t want to rub salt on her wounds.

"It is impossible he heard it," Marcella said. He was not even in the room as she recalled.

"You said he is scarily smart yourself. You think he wouldn’t have figured it out?" Tony asked.

"Oh, God!" Marcella plopped on the table. Tony placed his hand on her forehead so she wouldn’t hit it on the table.

"Let me tell you a secret," Tony whispered in her ear while brushing away her hair. "You’re his first crush."

"Eh?" Marcella looked up. What nonsense is he speaking?

"He proclaimed to me years ago that he was going to marry his mother when he got older," Tony said without batting an eye.

Marcella was flabbergasted. Why wasn’t she told such important details? And how did her jealous ball husband allow their son to get away after saying those words?

"What’s with that look? Donna told me that you wanted to marry your father when you were younger," Tony added.

"No, I did not!" Marcella furrowed her brows. She would remember if she said that.

"I’ll show you that home video later," Tony said.

Marcella poured herself another glass of wine.

"That crush was nothing serious. He got over it after I told him that you were my wife," Tony held her hand mostly to stop her from swallowing the next glass of wine. She was drinking way too fast. She was not young anymore. She could not deal with the hangover in the morning.

"Of course," Marcella tried to hold the glass in her free hand but that hand too got inside the lovely embrace of her husband.

Of course, Tony marked his territory!

"So, he will get over this crush too?" Marcella said staring at the wine glass.

That was not the most important thing. She had hurt her son. What if he thought that she didn’t want him? Or worse, what if he thought that she didn’t love him?

"I am the worst mother in this entire world! I am blessed with five kids and yet I am not satisfied and hurt my dear boy..."

Tears dripped from her eyes.

Tony held her close to him. "Come on, let’s not go that far. You are the best mother in the world. This one mistake doesn’t cancel the other sacrifices you made for them. Even Raph was not hurt as you think..."

"You’re saying that just to make me feel better. But Tony... I am helpless when it comes to him. I don’t know how to handle him. I am dumb and when he looks at me with those eyes and asks me something, I... I feel stupid and... I am not a good mother. I never will be a good mother to him. I am dumb..."

Marcella buried her head in his chest and cried.

She was not giving excuses. That was what she truly felt. She didn’t know how to interact with that genius son of hers.

"I am dumb, Tony. How did he come out of me? Even you are not that smart. How did he come to be a genius? What if I ruin him and damage his potential to be a great man in the future by doing something wrong? I am afraid to be with him..."

Marcella opened up her heart and spilled every feeling she had kept hidden till then. She knew as a mother she was not supposed to feel that way, but that was what she felt. And she felt guilty about it.

Tony knocked her head. "You are not dumb, idiot! Being emotional without thinking might be dumb, but you are not at all a fool. You are a genius, just in a different way to Raphael."

Marcella couldn’t control her sobs. She knew Tony considered her a genius, but she knew who she was.

"And what are you afraid of?" Tony held her cheeks and asked. "You are his mother! He will have to do whatever you say whether he likes it or not. I will make sure he’s obedient. You shouldn’t be afraid of him. Birdie, you brought him to the world. He owes you, not the other way around."

"I am not afraid of him. Well, only a little," Marcella averted his eyes. She was a little afraid of that son of hers. She was the amalgamation of all her teachers from the past into one. "At times I wonder if he mocks me for my idiocy. I don’t even know what he knows. It’s so... embarrassing..."

The questions he asks... Ahhh! Scary!

Tony chuckled. "Oh, dear, dear, Birdie..." he kissed her forehead. "You know how he is. He loves you so much and wants to spend time with you. He’s different from others and the only way he can think of spending time with you is by asking you questions. He just wants to be with you, that’s all!"

Marcella blinked her eyes. "He told you that?"

Tony nodded. "He’s not very verbal with his feelings. It’s... He loves you the most. So, don’t be uncomfortable around him. If he asks you questions, don’t mind it. He already knows the answer to his questions and he is there just to talk to you. Ask him about his day or talk about anything. He will listen to you."

"Are you sure?" Marcella asked. She didn’t know if it would work out. But she wanted to try.

Tony nodded. "And he wanted to marry Catherine because you wanted to raise her. He still is a child and thought that by marrying her, he could bring her home for you. He was not very hurt that you wanted to exchange him. He is brilliant. He knew I wouldn’t have allowed it and you wouldn’t last a day without him. He wasn’t bothered with it. He knows us."

"He wasn’t?" Marcella raised her brows. "Then why what were you angry about? You could have told me that he was not bothered by it in the beginning. Why did you make me cry?"

"Didn’t you need to vent?" Tony asked.

Marcella pouted. That didn’t mean he could make her cry.

"Stop obsessing over a daughter. This is it. We only have five sons. Deal with it," Tony said holding her cheeks.

Marcella sighed. She then nodded.

He was right!