Chapter 5
I held his hand and walked into the restaurant with him.
The waiter took us up to the third floor.
Nicola did not reserve a private room for us. Our seats were on the small terrace that was only open to premium members.
Beyond the French windows, the night skyline and the distant harbor lights stretched into view.
When we were seated, I heard a familiar voice coming from the stairwell.
“Oh? Lina. You two are here too?”
It was Elena. She was wearing a red dress today. She looked amazing in it. Every move she made was elegant.
She walked over and sat down next to me.
Then, she said to Nicola, who was sitting across from me, “Since we happened to run into each other like this, why don’t you pick up the tab, Nicola?”
After saying that, she nudged me with her leg under the table.
I felt a little embarrassed and gave an awkward smile.
Nicola clearly had not expected this situation either.
I was at a loss for words. Then, I saw Matteo walking over slowly.
He was frowning, and his expression was grim.
That was strange. Was he not already openly together with the person he loved?
Why did he not look happy?
To keep him from noticing that I was watching him, I quietly looked away.
However, the two of them being together at the same time made the atmosphere feel tense. I did not eat anything at all. I had lost my appetite.
I picked up my wine glass and took a small sip.
Just as I did, Nicola had already cut the steak into small pieces.
He forked a small piece and fed me.
His tone was gentle as he said, “Open up, honey. Eat it while it’s hot.”
I opened my mouth almost instinctively.
Just as we were about to finish the steak, Matteo reached out and grabbed his wrist.
Nicola and I both froze.
The fork in his hand stopped in midair.
He looked at Matteo and asked, “What’s wrong... Nicola?”
His smile faded, and he looked at Matteo with a cold expression.
The look they gave each other was razor-sharp.
I quickly tried to smooth things over.
“Maybe Nicola also wants some steak? I’m full. Let’s go home.”
Then, I took Nicola’s hand and stood up. I said goodbye to Elena.
We walked away holding hands. Our two wedding rings were right next to each other. They caught the light and looked bright and obvious.
That night, after I came out of my shower, I heard Nicola talking on the phone. He was speaking to Matteo.
Nicola asked, “What is it now?”
I stopped in my tracks, clenching my towel as I focused on listening.
It was hard to make out what Matteo said. However, Nicola replied coldly, “Weren’t you the one who begged me to pretend to be you? Am I doing a bad job? Or am I doing too good a job?”
Matteo raised his voice. “Nicola, you don’t act like me at all. Lina is going to notice.”
Nicola was unbothered.
“She’s going to notice? I don’t think so. We had a perfectly good day today.”
Matteo was practically grinding his teeth.
“I’ve never cut steak for her or worn my wedding ring. I would never call her ‘honey’ like that. Forget it. Let’s just swap back tomorrow. Don’t touch her tonight.”
Nicola laughed.
“Are you giving me orders? Besides, is this how you two act as a married couple? Isn’t a husband supposed to act the way I do?”
Matteo stayed quiet.
The reason was actually very simple. Matteo had never treated me as his real wife.
Before Nicola could notice me, I turned and went back into the washroom. I came out only after a while.
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