Chapter 12: "You have a visitor,"
Just as she was about to throw away the empty chocolate wrapper, the door flew open, revealing Enzo standing in the doorway. "I caught you, Mrs. Kira," he said, a triumphant smile on his face.
Kira stared at him, feeling defeated and embarrassed. She wished the ground would open up and swallow her whole. She couldn't bring herself to look him in the eye, her shame was too great. She berated herself internally, "What's so hard about tying your tongue for a while? Why couldn't you resist the temptation?"
"So," Enzo teased, "can you explain to me why you were eating my chocolate? I thought you said you didn't want anything from me." He couldn't help but enjoy seeing her flustered and embarrass
"I don't want anything from you – except your chocolate, apparently," Kira retorted, finally finding her voice. She'd had enough of Enzo feeling like he had the upper hand. She wasn't going to let him think he'd won this round.
"You should be grateful that I ate your snacks, don't you think?" she adds, trying to turn the tables on him. "That's what you've always wanted, isn't it?"
"Is that what you really think?" Enzo replied, leaning even closer until they were just inches apart. "Or is there something else you're trying to prove?"
She held her breath, trying to resist the urge to inhale his intoxicating scent. She couldn't let herself be drawn in by his allure.
But then he brushed aside the strands of hair that were blocking her view, whispering softly, "Do you really think I can't take my snacks back from you?"
"Do you really think I can't take my snacks back from you, Mrs. Kira?" Enzo asked, his voice low and husky. He reached into her duvet, as if searching for something.
"Or do you think I don't know you're hiding something under there?" He pulled out a piece of chocolate, but before he could put it away, Kira grabbed his wrist.
She held him firmly, her grip surprisingly strong. Enzo looked down at her hand, then back up at her face.
"No way, those are mine," she insisted, yanking the chocolate out of his hand. "You bought them for me, didn't you?" she asked, tucking the chocolate safely under her covers again.
"And you said you didn't want them, didn't you?" Enzo shot back, a bit stunned by how fast she'd reacted. He definitely hadn't been expecting her to grab his hand like that.
"Just because I didn't want them then doesn't mean I don't want them now," she said, crossing her arms defiantly.
"I'm going to eat all of these snacks, right here and right now, and you're going to watch me do it," she said, her voice filled with defiance. She ripped open a bar of chocolate, then started to eat it as theatrically as possible, trying to annoy Enzo.
But instead of getting annoyed, he just started laughing.
She stared at him, utterly perplexed. What was so funny about her eating a chocolate bar? Had he never seen anyone do that before? "What's so funny?" she asked, unable to hold back her curiosity any longer. "You've never seen someone eat a chocolate bar before?"
"I've seen people eat chocolate bars before, but I've never seen anyone eat one like a mad person," he said, and she could tell he was trying not to laugh.
She felt her cheeks burn with embarrassment. How dare he say that to her! She glared at him, her anger building.
"So you're calling me crazy?" she pouted, still devouring the chocolate bar.
"I don't need to call you crazy, it's already obvious," Enzo replied with a smirk. He was enjoying this conversation, and he wanted to keep it going.
He could tell that she was getting frustrated, and he couldn't help but find it amusing.
"If you are married to a crazy person, then that makes you crazy too, right?" she said with a sly grin.
"And this chocolate bar isn't even good. It tastes like rotten eggs." She said this after finishing the entire bar of chocolate, clearly trying to rile him up.
"So why did you eat it if it wasn't delicious?" Enzo countered. "You should have just given it to me instead of eating it."
"Well, I didn't give it to you because I didn't want you to feel bad and cry yourself to sleep," she fired back, pulling out another chocolate bar.
He raised an eyebrow, clearly amused by her quick wit. "Oh, so now you're worried about my feelings? That's a first."
She shrugged, keeping up her feigned indifference. "Don't get used to it. It's not going to happen again.
As Enzo watched his wife devour the second chocolate bar like a ravenous animal, he was struck by the thought of their future child learning to eat like this. "Is this how you plan to teach our future child to eat?" he asked, trying to keep his tone light and playful.
She pulled the chocolate bar from her mouth, her lips stained with chocolate, and she fixed him with a look. He waited for her to come up with a cutting remark, but instead, she just returned to eating the chocolate, her expression unreadable.
His smile faded, and he felt a twinge of concern. Had he gone too far with his teasing?
He tried to figure out what had caused her to suddenly become so distant. Had he said something to upset her? "Did I say something wrong?" he asked, genuinely concerned.
"You were never there for our son, Enzo. You wanted him gone," she said, her voice thick with emotion. Tears started to form in her eyes, and he could tell that she was on the verge of crying.
"If I hadn't run away, our son would have died, and you would have been happy about it. And then, you tried to poison him later, as if that wasn't enough," she said, her voice breaking. She dropped the chocolate bar, no longer interested in eating it.
Guilt washed over Enzo as he realized the extent of the pain he had caused her. "I know I've made mistakes, but I want to make things right," he said softly, his eyes pleading for forgiveness. "Please, Kira, give me a chance."
Kira searched his eyes, trying to gauge his sincerity. "How can I believe you, Enzo? You've betrayed my trust so many times." She looked into his eyes, her gaze unwavering.
He took a step closer, his hands gently wiping away her tears. "I know I've made mistakes. I was foolish and I took you for granted. But I'm willing to do whatever it takes to make things right. Please, just give me a chance to prove myself."
He could feel her body tense under his touch, and he could sense her hesitation.
As he watched her face, he noticed a change – a smile was beginning to form on her lips. "What's in the bag? More of your ugly gifts?" she asked, her voice playful.
She reached for the bag, and her hand found a small box. She opened it, revealing a beautiful piece of jewelry. She looked up at him, her eyes sparkling with wonder. "Is this for me?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
He nodded, his heart swelling with emotion. "Yes, it's for you. I hope you like it."
A loud knock on the door interrupted their moment, and they looked up to see a nurse standing in the doorway. "You have a visitor," she said, her smile warm and welcoming.
Kira and Enzo exchanged a look, both of them wondering who the visitor could be. "Who is it?" Kira asked, her curiosity piqued.
"I can't say, but they're here to see you," the nurse replied. "Would you like me to let them in?"