"What should I call you?" Olivia asked, confused.
"We're clearly not role-playing as master and servant, are we? You're my wife, so call me by an appropriate term." Ignazio commanded firmly.
Olivia fell silent, her mind seemed to be contemplating the right way to address Ignazio. Not wanting the girl to daydream any longer, Ignazio suddenly bent his knees, causing Olivia's body to be pushed, and she screamed, unintentionally calling out "Zio!" loudly due to the surprise.
"I like that term." Ignazio replied with a smile on his face. "I like it when you call me Zio."
"W-what?" Olivia asked, confused.
"I like it when you address me with the term Zio." he repeated, making Olivia wide-eyed and blush.
Another decision they successfully made today was to choose a nickname.
"So, aren't you going to continue?" Ignazio asked, casting his gaze on th
OLIVIA WINCED SOFTLY. She felt aches all over her body. She wanted to get up, but the soreness in her body made her want to curl up longer. Her eyes slowly opened. The first thing she saw was a wide glass window with beautiful tiny rays of light.Is there a fireworks party outside? she asked herself. But those rays of light didn't move like fireworks usually do. Olivia tightened her blanket and chose to gaze at the scenery a little longer."Are you awake?" The soft low-toned question made Olivia realize that she wasn't alone. Memories flooded back to her instantly. Scene after scene she did a few hours ago made Olivia widen her eyes.She turned and saw Ignazio sitting behind her. The man was leaning forward, looking in her direction. His large hands slowly reached out and parted Olivia's hair."Awake now?" he asked again, touching Olivia's forehead with the back of his hand. "Thank goodness, your fev
"But, Zio..." Olivia whispered softly as she felt Ignazio's kiss on her neck."Hmm?" Ignazio asked without moving his lips away from Olivia's neck, sniffing it as if savoring the scent of her body."Until when are we going to be here?" Olivia asked nervously. The remnants of her sanity began to make her anxious about what people might think of their relationship. She really didn't like it when people gossiped about her.Yes, they were already married. Even though their official papers hadn't come out yet, they were still halal to be together whenever and wherever they pleased.Nevertheless, Olivia wasn't ready to answer the questions of those who might see them. Just imagine what Ignazio's receptionist or secretary might think tomorrow when they saw Olivia leaving Ignazio's office in the morning, afternoon, or maybe evening without ever having seen her enter?Or wondering about h
Before more accusations could come from Ignazio's mouth, Olivia quickly covered his mouth with both of her hands. "Not like that," she said, half whining.Ignazio still looked at her with merged eyebrows, making Olivia feel afraid. The demanding gaze of the man made Olivia's heart pound rapidly due to panic, while her mind was working hard to find the right words to say to Ignazio without offending or angering him.Olivia couldn't afford to lie to him because if she uttered one lie, she would have to weave more lies."So, what is it? Explain," said Ignazio coldly, demanding after Olivia released her hands from his mouth."I..." she began, confused. "I'm not ready to have a child," Olivia answered honestly."Why?" Ignazio demanded, not satisfied."Zio, I'm still too young to have a child," she continued nervously.Ignazio sighed. "And I'm
"WHAT SHOULD I do now?" Olivia asked desperately to her sister, Rianna, as she dropped off Gianna, who wanted to visit her cousin after school.Olivia finally told Rianna about Ignazio, who asked her to return to work at Kralligimiz as his personal assistant, which Olivia refused, citing that there was no one to take care of Gianna if she spent her time working.Olivia was truly confused. She thought that when the issue of the Mama's call was settled, her matters with Ignazio were also settled. But Olivia was wrong.When Gianna enthusiastically talked about having a new mom to her friends and teachers at school, Ignazio behaved coldly toward her. Two nights had passed since their return from Kralligimiz. In front of Gianna, Ignazio acted as if their relationship—Olivia and Ignazio—was fine. He smiled warmly and even chatted with Gianna whenever they were in the same room. However, when they were alone, Ignazi
"OLIVIA IS SOUND ASLEEP on Ignazio's chest, her naked body covered only by a thin blanket on the top of the sofa. Ignazio smiles, lowers his head, and gazes at his young wife's face, gently brushing aside the strands of hair covering her face. He tenderly kisses Olivia's forehead, causing the young woman to snuggle even closer, seeking a comfortable position in the not-so-spacious place.Ignazio and his desire. Days without touching Olivia have evidently tormented him. Olivia's body has become his addiction; Ignazio can't imagine anything else when he looks at his wife, except for touching her. Keeping a distance from Olivia these past few nights has been truly agonizing for him, even more so than before they were married.Ignazio spends his nights restless. He chose to separate himself from Olivia, but he is the one suffering. Countless times every night, he leaves his workspace and intentionally goes upstairs just to see Olivia peacefully asleep. Ignazio wants to touch her, unveil t
"MARRY ME." A tall, broad-shouldered young man bent down on one knee, offering a velvet box containing a diamond ring before lifting his gaze to meet the eyes of a beautiful fair-skinned girl with long black hair. She looked back at him, surprised, emotional, yet happy."Zio, you're attracting a lot of attention," the girl's descendant said, blushing, her eyes scanning the surroundings.The man still on one knee glanced around as well, but instead of feeling embarrassed, he shrugged nonchalantly, refocusing his attention on the girl, his eyes filled with hope."I love you deeply, Gretta. Will you marry me? Spend the rest of your life with me?"The girl bit her lower lip, her eyes teary. With unwavering conviction, she nodded her head."Yes. Yes, Zio!" she exclaimed loudly, causing everyone witnessing the scene to cheer along.Ignazio smiled widely. He rose from his position and stood before his beloved. Happiness radiated from his face as his fingers took the diamond-studded ring from
**THE HOSPITAL CORRIDOR** appeared deserted. Some corridors only had dim lights as the patients were already lost in their own slumber. Meanwhile, in other corridors, the lights were still shining brightly, and a few people were gathered, feeling anxious and afraid. Ignazio, a thirty-one-year-old man, paced back and forth outside the operating room where his wife was undergoing childbirth. Occasionally, he wiped his face and roughly ran his fingers through his hair out of frustration. The doctor had forbidden him from entering and accompanying his wife during the operation at her request, which made Ignazio incredibly emotional. He wanted to curse. He wanted to damn someone. But he knew that all of that would be utterly useless. Even his parents, aunts, uncles, and cousins who tried to console him were ignored. Ignazio didn't care whether the baby would come out safely or not. No! He didn't care about that. What he cared about was whether his wife would survive or not. He didn't wan
"It's just a lump of flesh, not yet alive. It doesn't matter if we terminate it. It won't be a sin either because it's clearly related to your health," Ignazio persisted. But Ignazio's stubbornness seemed to meet its match, as Gretta stood firm in her decision. "I will undergo all tests and treatments after this baby is strong enough. At least when I enter the second trimester or at most after I give birth," Gretta tried to convince her husband. "That's just wasting time. We might be too late to treat your cancer," Ignazio complained in frustration. "If so, that's my fate. The fate that God has given me. My life, for my baby," Gretta replied coldly. Ignazio shook his head, rejecting what Gretta was telling him. He moved quickly toward his wife, who sat at the edge of the bed. He knelt on both knees, reaching for his wife's hands that had become thinner over time. "Don't talk like that," Ignazio pleaded, tears welling up in his eyes. "Don't talk about lives. You know that you are v