Flash Marriage: Shrewd Wife, Devious Husband
Chapter 91: Sapling of Doubt

Chapter 91: Sapling of Doubt

"I’ve never seen Don so terrified in my life before. He was clueless as to what to do next..." Tony said.

It was easy for him to talk about Don’s feelings that day. Because his feelings were all over the place. He didn’t know how he survived that day not knowing whether his Marcella would make it or not.

"She was the love of his life. They’ve been through thick and thin together. I can understand why Dad felt like that..." Marcella patted his back.

Although Tony was talking about her father, she could sense the tremble running through his bones. He was stressed about something.

"No," he exhaled. He sounded abysmal.

She tried to look at his face but he turned his back to her. All she saw was that man in front of her, his broad shoulders drooped like a defeated warrior.

"He was not thinking about Donna. He knew it. He knew she was gone, and all that he had left to do was to bury her and grieve her. He knew what he needed to do about Donna. But you... You rattled him to his core that day. He couldn’t even grieve because he was worried for you."

Marcella didn’t know what to say. Yes, she was hurt. But was her father that worried for her? Maybe he was worried because of the almost fatal wound on her. All he did was scream at her.

"What were you thinking, Marcella? I knew things were not good with Aiden, but you..." Tony turned to face her.

The tip of his nose was read and she saw the tiredness in his eyes.

"She was dead. What were you doing covering her? Had you run, you wouldn’t have been hurt and almost di~" Tony gulped unable to finish his words.

He then took large steps toward her.

"What were you thinking?" he held her shoulders and shouted, leaning into her face. "What were you thinking? She was dead! Dead! And you put your life on the line to protect her corpse. Stupid! Do you have any idea..."

He panted and let go of her. Marcella took a couple of steps back. She could still feel the warmth of his breath on her face and her ears felt stuffy hearing his shout. Blinking her eyes, she looked at his back. With his hands on his waist, he was looking at the floor. She couldn’t see his face.

"Don... He... He was shocked by what you... He thought he taught you better. He couldn’t believe you didn’t escape. He worried you’ve lost your will to live...It bore a hole in his soul to see his offspring on the floor in a pool of blood. He shouted at you because he couldn’t accept what you did. He thought it as an extension of your psyche and it killed him inside..."

Marcella fisted her hands.

All Tony talked about was about him—her father. But is he talking about her father or...

How convenient, she thought.

Her father valued family over everything. That’s what he taught her. Why is Tony talking differently?

Here she is holding resentment on him for letting her sister die, and POOF!!! Like magic, Tony came up with a story involving her father whom she respects so much, that involved a similar situation, proving to her that he did the right thing to protect her.

Is he going to say that her father made him promise to look after her—to save her from herself?

With her heart filled with doubts, she waited for Tony to speak more.

"You were in the OR for hours, Bambi..." Tony turned to look at her. His eyes were red. He continued after clearing his throat. "I don’t remember much of that day, except the promise I made... the promise Don wanted me to make... He asked me to protect you at all costs..."

Marcella smiled. "I know..."

Her heart felt empty. She didn’t know why she couldn’t trust him. After everything Tony did for her, she shouldn’t be doubting him like this. But she had this seed of doubt that Randy planted deep inside her. It had sprouted and it has begun to root itself deep inside her heart. She couldn’t avoid it anymore by covering it up with dirt.

Because the deeper the root is, the higher the plant grows. Dirt cannot stop the sapling from growing. The sapling will come out.

Words... She knew the damage words can cause.

Right now, she had a lot of words and none of them would help her in their relationship. She can talk about everything openly but not about her doubt. She didn’t see the upside to that.

Either Tony loves her truly or he was just pretending.

If he loves her truly and she throws those doubts at him, it would hurt him. Then it would cause a mark—a scar—in their relationship that no amount of time can heal.

If he was pretending, she would be outing herself by revealing her doubts. It might push him to the extremes.

She didn’t want either of that to happen.

The best she could do is confirm one thing or another.

And just like that, she was back at square one. It was not square one exactly. Her square one was the lavender haze period she felt around him.

This... hurts.

She didn’t want to be in this place for long. She felt betrayed by him again. But it all could just be a misunderstanding.

All she can do is wait.

"I feel a little drowsy, Tony. I’ll go to bed now," she said unable to look at his face.

"It’s okay... Don’t feel bad," Tony walked to her.

She saw his feet in front of her. He cupped her cheeks and she looked at him.

"You look tired," he said with a smile.

The same smile that makes her soft. Why can’t this smile be real?

He kissed her forehead and she closed her eyes.

Please... let this be his real smile...

I want him to be true... I really really want him to be true...

-----

In the morning, Marcella woke up. Tony was not in the house. She walked to the kitchen to see his note on the fridge. He had already left for work.

Her lips curved seeing the toast on the table. She ate her breakfast and drank the coffee he had brewed. She went to the nursery which had become the dressing room/ study/ reading room/ everything.

She sighed seeing the papers sprawled on the floor. He usually tries to keep it all clean but he must have left in a hurry in the morning.

His trousers were on the floor. She did the laundry just then and she didn’t know where this trouser came from. But she remembered he wore this one last week. She must have missed it or he must have hid the trouser somewhere and forgot.

She checked the pockets deciding to wash it in the next laundry day. He had a habit of leaving cash or visiting cards in his trouser pockets.

She felt a thick card in the pocket and took it out.

She didn’t know what to even think of him anymore. At one moment, he would be like a boy who cannot take care of himself and at another moment, he would be this cunning fox who cannot be trusted.

Who is he? Innocent child or a manipulative fox?

Or is she the one holding on to her past, doubting Tony after what she went through with Aiden? Is she the one with trust issues?

Reflexively, she looked at the card in her hand. The card was familiar. It was a little too familiar because she saw the same card yesterday with the same name.

John Emerson.

He’s met Emerson before and yet pretended he heard about him for the first time from me?

She tried. She didn’t want to doubt Tony. It could be the same card he had. Maybe he misplaced it in his trouser pockets that he wore last week.

She went and checked her purse. Inside was the same visiting card. There were two cards with the same name. Her hands shook and she dropped to the floor.

That means... John Emerson met Tony first before he met her.

She told Tony about her meeting with Emerson, and for some reason, Tony didn’t feel compelled to tell her the truth.

It made her think. What if Tony made John meet with me?

She couldn’t stop doubting him anymore. It was like the puzzle pieces were falling together. She didn’t think that she could like the picture she sees once the pieces were fixed anymore.

The sapling of doubt in her heart sprouted a new leaf darkening it.

She stared at the visiting card for some time. She could feel the contempt in John’s voice when he called her a mobster’s daughter. And he insisted on meeting her in the shooting range of their department.

Anything can go wrong. A gun may misfire and she might die. No one’s going to look into it.

After all, she is the mobster’s daughter.

But...

What if John Emerson wanted her there for other reason? Could he warn her against Tony? Or... Can he give her any clue about her sister’s death?

She decided to take John Emerson on his offer anyways.