Arranged Love – Episode 13

“How are you feeling?”

“I am feeling alright. Thank you for asking,” I said through the phone. Elisabetta made sure to call me once every few days to get to know me and hear about her son. I really gotten to know her very well. We spend about an hour talking about different things.

“How is Adrian? Is he treating you well?” she asked me. Is he? “He’s treating me fine,” I lied. He hadn’t done anything for me since the funeral. His focus was his work and nothing else. He would be stuck in his office all day or be at his work a few days at a time. So, I hardly see him. Lorenzo did check on me when Adrian was at home. To be honest, I would rather have Adrian check on me.

“What do you plan to do today?” she asked me. “I was thinking of going out to the city today. I was meaning to get a new book to read,” I told her. Slowly, I was filling my bookshelf with books. “Alright. Well, I need to get going. I have a meeting to attend today,” she told me.

I could feel relief coming. “Alright. I’ll call you next time,” I told her. “Okay. Bye,” she told me and hung up the phone. I put my phone down on my desk and walked to the closet to change my clothes. The bookstore should still be open if I get there fast enough.

Quickly, I changed into my outdoor clothes and got my bag. “Do I have everything?” I looked into my bag as I walked to the front door. My keycard was in my bag as well as my wallet. “Good.” I pressed the button to go down.

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My afternoon was very busy. Luckily, the bookstore was still open by the time I got there. I looked over the shelves in the cuisine section to see if I could find a good recipe book. There were so many good ones.

In the end, I managed to get a book on classics recipes. The book didn’t cost me too much because I got a membership card. I collected so many points that I gotten a discount price for my book. In some cases, I got half price on a stack of books.

While I was out, I did go to the grocery store to get some ingredients for the week. For my dinner, I made some simple pasta with olive oil, basil, cherry tomatoes, and some parmesan. As usual, I saved Aidan some pasta even though I would eat it the next day or the day after.

Right now, I was on the computer looking up on universities in my area. So far, I wanted to see universities that offer many online classes. That way, I could focus on being a housewife and attend school at the same time.

Next thing I knew, I heard footsteps coming down the hallway. Usually Adrian got home around 11:30 pm. Today, he seemed to have came home thirty minutes early. I could hear that it was more than one person.

“It’s probably Adrian and Lorenzo,” I said to myself. As the footsteps get louder, something didn’t sound right. One of the set of footsteps sounded much sharper as if someone was wearing high heels.

That can’t be Lorenzo . I knew Lorenzo’s footsteps very well since he usually came and check on me “on behalf of Adrian.” I knew that wasn’t true. Lorenzo was just making sure that Adrian wouldn’t get in trouble by his grandparents.

Soon, I heard Adrian’s room door close and started to hear other noises. My insides started to turn and squeeze. I can’t believe this! I need to get out of this room. I got my laptop and a few books and walked out of the room before I could hear anything more.

Quickly, I walked downstairs to the living room. I felt that I could still hear them. “Where should I go?” I couldn’t go outside since it was a bit dangerous at night. I didn’t know anyone yet in the city. So, my options were very limited.

I walked near the front door entrance to see a door that I never opened before. I reached the doorknob and turned to open to see another hallway. I thought this was a closet. The hallway was pitch black.

I felt for a switch. Once I found the switch, the hallway lit up dimly. I walked inside and closed the door behind me. I walked down the hallway and down a small set of stairs to another hallway. This place has a lot more rooms that I thought .

Soon, I found myself in front of a door at the end of the hallway. I opened the door to see that it was empty except for a bed and a desk. The room didn’t seemed to be in use. Relief flowed through me. The feel was comforting.

I’ll make this my room. At least I don’t feel like I can hear them.

I yawned and knew that it was time for me to go to bed. I closed the door and set my stuff on the desk before I got under the covers of the bed without changing into my pajamas. I closed my eyes and let sleep invite me into the darkness.

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Luckily, I didn’t see Adrian, Lorenzo, and the girl the next day. Still, I didn’t know who Adrian was having an affair with. My chest wheezed from the thoughts. The sounds were imprinted in my mind that I would need to occupy myself.

“Now, I won’t have to hear that noise again.”

I spent the past week moving my stuff into the new room that was farthest from Adrian’s and my old room. At times, I would be in my old room so that nobody suspected that I changed rooms or anything.

“To think that I had married an unfaithful man.”

I couldn’t stop the thoughts going through my head. Adrian was having an affair with someone. A woman who I knew nothing about. I shook my head and walked to the front door to head out of the apartment.

I wanted to go to the bookstore to read and clear my mind. Once I got my bag, I walked out of the apartment. The breeze felt very refreshing in my lungs. The sun was shining brightly. The streets were normal as usual.

Something good is going to happen today. I felt myself smile. Happiness was filling me up that I forgotten about my worries of Adrian and the affair. It was just what my brain needed right now. A time to relax and think for myself.

Soon, I got to the bookstore to see Mr. Britton at the cash register. I walked in through the door to see that the place had a few people. Mr. Britton gave me a smile. “Hello Vera. Here to get a book?” he asked me.

I returned the smile. “Maybe but, I’m here to read for a while,” I told him. He gave me a nod. “If you need anything, I’m right here,” he told me.

Like usual. I walked over to the shelves and scanned the book titles.

I was looking for something that would catch my eyes. The titles weren’t always everything. I would pull a book from the shelf and read the prologue. Sometimes, I would scan the first chapter to see if the book caught my eyes.

Beginner of Authors.

That looks interesting .

I pulled the book from the shelf and walked to a couch to read my book. Once I opened the book, I read the table of contents and the first chapter of the book. After a few pages, I gotten into the book. I should buy this book.

“Hi there.”

I looked up to see a guy who stood above me with a smile on his face. He had blonde hair with a side bang. His eyes were blue with a tint of green. His face had sharp angles that his overall look made him look very attractive. He was well built too.

Who’s is this guy?

“Are you a student at Manhattan College?” he asked me. I shook my head. “No sorry,” I told him. He had a frown on his face. “Oh. Sorry. I’m Victor,” he introduced himself and gave his hand out to me. I shook his hand.

“Valeria but, call me Vera,” I told him. He grew a smile on his face. “Nice to meet you Vera,” he said to me. He asked me if I was a student at Manhattan College. Is he a student there? I started to get a bit curious.

He sat down in a seat in front of me. “Are you a student at Manhattan College?” I asked him. He gave me a nod. “Yes I am. I am an undergraduate there studying business,” he said to me. I saw that he was holding a business textbook in his hands.

“Are you attending college or university somewhere?” he asked me. “No. I was trying to find a college or university that has many online classes so that I could focus on being a housewife. Now, I am trying to find one that is at least close to home,” I told him.

“Where do you live?” he asked me. I gave him a nod. “I live here in Manhattan,” I told him. “Then you should apply at Manhattan College then. If you like, I can help you apply,” he suggested to me. That’s a good idea.

I gave him a smile. “That would be great,” I told him.

“Hey Victor.”

Victor looked up to see another guy about his age standing next to me. He had dark hair, brown eyes, and sharp angles that were almost similar to Victor. He was little more muscular and a bit shorter than Victor.

“Hi Neal,” Victor said happily. Neal sat next to Victor. “So, what are you doing here?” Neal asked him. “I was here to find a book to read. Anyways, Neal. Meet Vera. Vera meet my partner Neal,” Victor introduced us to each other.

I shook Neal’s hand. “Nice to meet you,” I told him. Neal gave me a smile. “Nice to meet you too,” he told me. He said partner. What does he mean exactly? I looked at their hands to see a set of bands on their fingers.

“Are you two engaged?” I asked them. They gave me a smile. “Yes, we are,” they said in unions. I felt myself smile. “”Wow. I’m so happy for you two. When is the wedding?” I asked them. They gave each other a smile and looked at me. “In a couple years. For now, we want to finish school and enjoy life,” Neal told me.

How sweet…

“Your married too right? How long?” Victor asked me with curiosity. Must have saw my wedding ring . “A few months,” I told them. They gave me a smile. “Is he treating you well?” Neal asked me. No! My husband is having an affair. He doesn’t care about me. He doesn’t love me .

“He’s treating me…alright,” I told the him.

“Vera is going to apply at Manhattan College,” Victor told him. Neal looked at me. “Really?” he asked with surprise. I gave him a nod. “Victor said that he is going to help me. I hope you don’t mind,” I told him. Neal shook his head. “I don’t mind. I’ll help too,” he told me.

“Thank you so much.”

I made my very first friends in New York.

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Time had went by so fast that I had forgotten to make dinner at home. Neal and Victor invited me to eat with them at a restaurant. They really knew the best place to eat Chinese food. The Chinese food tasted better than San Francisco.

Once I got home, I placed my new book on my desk and looked at myself in the mirror. Over the years, I had been the girl who was selfless. A girl who helped people around her especially her grandparents. Never in her life, she did anything for herself. Anything to make herself happy.

“It’s time for a change to myself.”

I walked to my vanity and took my cases of plastic glasses and threw them in the trash can. First step done. I walked back to the mirror and touched my hair. My hair grew longer since the wedding. I hadn’t been to a hair salon in a long time.

“Need to go to the hair salon tomorrow.”

I walked to the closet and sorted out my clothes.

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“Woah! Where is the Vera we just met a few days ago!”

They were right. I wasn’t the same girl who they met a few days ago. I had gotten a haircut so that my hair was now above my shoulders and a bit wavy. Also, I wore some blue skinny jeans, black high heal shoes, and a brown long sleeve shirt that showed my curves.

I didn’t even recognized myself in the mirror. “So….is it really bad?” I asked them. They shook their heads. “No. It’s just different,” Victor said to me. “It’s a good different,” Neal finished. I gave them a smile.

“Thanks. I thought I needed a change,” I told them. “I”m going in the kitchen to make some snacks. Petit quiches and tea,” he told us. “That sounds good,” I told him. Victor walked into his little kitchen to cook.

Neal got his laptop and got onto the University’s website. “Ready to enroll?” he asked me. I walked over to him and gave him a folder of my transcripts and other documents needed to enroll into the University. I felt a smile grow on my face.

“I am more than ready.”

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