7. ANNOUNCEMENT

I knew my fake husband wasn't going to care. Since we got back from the supposed honeymoon in Paris, I haven't seen him again and it's not like I want to. My aversion towards his person remains the same - the less we meet the better, for my peace of mind. So in the following days, I dedicated myself to accommodating some things inside the house to my liking. I bought some paintings and flowers, and many more flowers.

The gardener is happy, yes, because in addition to my greenhouse, the house is surrounded by a huge garden created by my grandmother, according to what Enrique, the man who cares for it, told me. It is where, when I return from school early or on weekends that I do not go to my grandparents' house, I spend my time. We have planted an endless number of new roses and other plants. In my own way, I am happy with my solitude, surrounded by all the comforts that my grandparents gave me. I haven't heard from my parents. I just sent them a message saying that we had returned, to which they did not reply.

Luis appeared two weeks after our return, as always in a bad mood. I heard him come up, throwing things in his path and yelling at the servants. And now what bug would have bitten him, so that he is making that scandal? I wondered, but I didn't care. I continued in my rocking chair, concentrating on my reading until I saw him standing in front of me.

"You are supposed to come to receive your husband!" He yelled, visibly angry. "Why do I have to go all over the damn house to find you hiding here?" he asked, very upset.

I closed the book to pay attention to him, thinking he may have a problem. I sat up so I could see him from the front. He had stopped in front of me, really annoyed, and without giving importance to what he had just said, I sighed and decided to find out what was wrong with him.

"Ha, ha, ha... And what bug bit you?" I asked him. I stood up and then looked into his eyes. Wow, he's mad! It must be something very serious for him to get that way. As I told you, it's been more than two weeks since we returned from our honeymoon and he hadn't deigned to find me, not even to agree on what we were going to do now that we're married. That is why I am intrigued that he is now standing in front of me with that attitude.

"What made you so angry Luis? You won't think of taking your troubles out on me after you disappear. Tell me what you have and I'll see if I can help you. But I don't want to hear your screams, I like the tranquility. So, finish telling me, what caused your good temper to go down the drain?”

"Bella, I'm not in the mood for jokes!" He said, looking at me squarely.

Well, since he didn't come to the house and that day it was very hot, I had put on a set of shorts that highlighted my femininity. And I think he was surprised and looked at me for the first time in his life as a woman. I'm sure his eyes roamed my body with surprise, I couldn't hide it and it made me feel uncomfortable.

I shouldn't have dressed like that! I told myself when I saw how he passed his tongue over his lips. Why didn't I think about the possibility that he might come back? Until now he considered myself ugly, and I prefer that I continue to do so. The last thing I want is for this madman to demand that I fulfill my duties as a wife, and from the way he looks at me I think he will at any moment, he will force me to sleep with him. The deal we made was only words, if he breaks it I can't claim anything.

That's why before he continued looking at my body as if it were a piece of meat that he could devour whenever he wanted. Because I know he can do it, we're alone, I'm his wife and no one would interfere to stop him if he decides to do it. I think quickly thought of what to say to get him out of his surprise at seeing the woman in me, I asked.

"Did you have problems with your blonde from the plane?”

I ask very seriously, making me look into my eyes, and stop looking at my body. So I go inside the house and grab a robe that I have hooked to my bedroom door, with him watching and walking behind me. I can feel his gaze roaming my body. That's why after putting on the clothes that hide me from his lascivious gaze, I ask him again.

"If it's not a problem with your girlfriend on duty, then what is Luis?

Seeing his angry and worried face at the same time. I don't think that's it, nor if it is, that he dared to come and talk about it with me. I have zero experience in relationships to give advice.

"Isabella, you are my wife, you shouldn't be asking me those kinds of questions about other women." He says very seriously, and I sit up to face him.

"What bug bit you?”

I repeat the question standing up, I don't know what the hell is wrong with him, but I won't let him play the husband with me, much less possess me, because despite having covered my body, now he looks at my legs, so I stop laughing and tell him.

"Luis, stop looking at me like that. Remember our conversation at the engagement party, we said we were each going to do what we wanted and you wouldn't touch me! So stop looking at my legs!”

I clarify quickly, fearing that other ideas are occurring to him that I will not accept. If he had problems with his trashy blonde, or whoever, leave me out of it. For nothing in the world, I will be his real woman. When I'm going to keep reminding him of everything, he suddenly lets go.

"It's not that, Bella! And don't worry, that day I made it very clear why I agreed with this farce."

He says now changing his attitude a bit, and then moving forward as if he wanted to tell me something.

"Bella, can't you and I seriously…?" He stops at the look I give him. He shakes his head and tells me again furious. "Today our parents are coming to eat!"

"That?! Who came up with that madness? You can't do that Luis, you have to count on me" I yell, pulling away from him.

"Don't blame me, I had nothing to do with it!" He yelled at the top of his voice.

"No? And whose wonderful idea was it? Why didn't anyone call me to let me know? I'm the housewife, I'm supposed to know, right?" I say also annoyed.

"They just called to tell me."

He speaks more normally when he sees me furious. It's like every time I face him, he's shocked. Apparently, he still has in his mind the image of the silly girl he abused without saying anything. It's not that much has changed, but I don't know, with him I get the courage to face him. Also, now that I have come out from under my parents, knowing that I have the full support of my grandparents, whom I can ask for help without hiding, I feel more confident in myself.

"It was our mothers' idea, you know them, they invited themselves!" He explains furiously. "They want to have a welcome dinner!"

"A welcome dinner?! And this madness all of a sudden without asking us?"

I finally ask, understanding the reason for his annoyance, and I agree with him, they should have called us and asked us. But who am I kidding? Apparently, they plan to continue doing whatever they want with us.

"What time is it? I don't have time to prepare anything myself, Luis, what are we going to do? I know, call a catering service."

"I've already done it, Bella! Do you think I'm so stupid?"

He talks really angrily, I understand, this makes me angry too, but we have to deal with them, they both do whatever comes out of their mind. And I don't want this to fail, at least we must make them believe that everything is going well in our marriage. I walk towards the kitchen followed by Luis who informs me.

"I knew I wasn't going to give you time to do anything, if you know how to do something in the kitchen, you spend all your time eating fruit. That's why I ordered a complete dinner, they must be here when they bring it, we'll have it on the terrace, it's beautiful and the weather is good." He clarifies, making me breathe in relief, seeing that the useless man knows how to do at least that.

"And why are you so upset if you already fixed everything?" I ask as he continues to huff and move from one place to another until he stops again facing me and yells.

"Because food is not the problem! We have to share common stories from our honeymoon and we don't have any! What are we going to do, huh? Damn! Our mothers are a fucking pain in the ass!”

"What are we going to do Luis?”

I ask scared, realizing that it really is a problem since we spent the aforementioned honeymoon apart. I have zero experience of traveling, the most that my courage reached me alone, was to arrive at a library. If only it had taken me a single day to walk, I think. Now we weren't in this mess. But I don't tell him anything, that won't fix the problem.

"We don't have any history in common, we don't even have photos. What are we going to say if they ask us if they want to see the photos we took on the trip Luis? Heavens! Why didn't we think of that when we were there?" I keep talking nervously trying to think of what to do to resolve the matter. "We could have thrown some away the day we bought the presents. How are we going to cover that?”

"Calm down," he asks me when he sees how scared I get. "We'll say, our phones were stolen, or our hand luggage, I don't know, something is going to occur to me," Luis says very sure.

"Very good idea Louis! But what about the stories, what are we going to tell? We don't have any, I didn't leave the library and you don't know where you were.”

"I'll do them, and you just follow me." He says looking at me coldly, while passing his hand over his sweat-drenched forehead. It seems that he really fears this dinner. "In the end, we all know, you barely speak Bella."

He is going to leave, but he turns around as if hesitating to say something, he lets out a breath and says. "Don't forget, I might have to give you some hugs and kisses in front of them. What a bummer!"

"Huh, kisses why kisses? I don't want to, just take my hand."

"Bella...”

"It's okay, let them be on the face, nothing in the mouth. OK?"