The Substitute Twin Bride

Matteo seemed deaf to her pleas. He pushed Rose onto the bed and began to roughly undress her, blocking every kick and punch she threw at him.

"Stop it! Stop it! Please!!" Rose sobbed.

Tears streamed down Rose's cheeks until Matteo suddenly stopped and stood at the edge of the bed, panting heavily before turning away.

"Shit!" Matteo cursed.

Rose scrambled to cover herself with the torn remains of her clothes, crying uncontrollably.

"We're leaving," Matteo hissed.

Without looking at her, Matteo stormed out of the cabin. Rose, still crying, struggled into her ripped clothes and stumbled after him.

"Oh God..." Rose sobbed. "How far must I go for Romilda's sake? But if I don't... I can't lose Mom."

**************

Matteo rubbed his sore arm. He couldn't believe that Romilda had fought back with so much strength. In fact, he suspected that she was holding back. This only added to his confusion.

And one more thing...

"Where's Romilda's tattoo?" Matteo muttered.

Matteo was sure he had once seen a small tattoo on her left shoulder. Although he couldn't remember the design, he knew it had definitely been there. Yet, when her body was exposed earlier, it was gone entirely.

Had she gotten it removed? Matteo wondered.

Just then, Rose stepped out of the cabin, her hands clutching her chest. She climbed into the car without saying a word.

No sobs, no sound-just puffy eyes.

Matteo felt disgusted as he looked at the woman beside him. She acted like an innocent girl who had been traumatized by almost being violated. But the truth was that Matteo hadn't even thought of going that far.

How many men had Romilda already slept with? The mere thought made Matteo nauseous, especially the idea that she had once warmed his father's bed every night.

The car drove away from the cabin, heading back toward civilization.

For Rose, the ride was pure torture. The cold air from the A/C made her shiver, but she didn't complain. She stayed quiet, her body trembling from the chill.

When they finally arrived home, Matteo parked the car and went straight inside. Rose trailed behind him, keeping her distance.

Before heading upstairs, Matteo turned around.

"Go to your room," he ordered firmly.

Rose nodded silently.

No lunch. No dinner. But Rose wasn't hungry.

The fear and anxiety in her stomach kept her full. All she wanted was to go back to her room, her only safe haven in the house.

Just as Rose was about to climb the stairs, she saw Nicole and Letizia standing at the top.

"Oh my God. What a whore," Nicole hissed.

Both women descended the stairs as Rose stepped back. Matteo stood there, watching, as if preparing for the next scene in a twisted soap opera.

"Did she seduce you by stripping down like that, Matteo?" Letty mocked. "Did you touch her? I bet she was dying to make out with you!

"Shut up, Letty," Matteo warned. "Do you think I wanted to touch her?"

Letty shrugged. "Who knows? You're a man. Maybe you were tempted by that piece of raw meat thrown at you."

"I'm not that disgusting," Matteo growled.

Letty didn't reply. She and Nicole walked around Rose, clicking their tongues in disgust.

"You might as well admit it-you're not a virgin anymore, Romilda. Honesty might earn you some sympathy," Nicole sneered.

"Yeah, better than being humiliated and getting nothing."

They laughed cruelly. Nicole then smacked away Rose's hand, covering her chest, exposing her again.

Letty and Nicole burst into louder laughter.

Rose quickly covered herself again, struggling to stay calm. Earlier, in a burst of anger, she'd nearly dislocated Nicole's wrist. She couldn't risk that happening again.

Revealing her true self now would destroy everything. Romilda would be furious. Their mother's treatment would be called off.

Rose couldn't let that happen. She had to endure it-she had to remain Romilda until the deal was done.

"Just strip already, Romilda! Didn't you enjoy undressing in front of my ex-husband?" Letty snapped.

"Oh, acting shy now? You shameless bitch!" Nicole spat.

Nicole shoved Rose hard, almost knocking her to the floor. She yanked at the half-open top, ripping the fabric wide open.

Rose gasped and clung tighter to her chest to cover herself.

Letty stepped forward to slap Rose, but Matteo grabbed her wrist.

"Enough," Matteo warned coldly.

He took off his jacket and draped it over Rose's shoulders. The gesture left Letty and Nicole stunned.

"Go to your room," Matteo ordered again.

Without a word, Rose bolted upstairs and ran straight to her room.

Now, only Matteo and his two sisters remained at the foot of the stairs. Letty turned to him, seething.

"What kind of spell did Romilda cast on you?" she snapped.

"I don't like the way you treated her. It's inhumane!" Matteo retorted. "That's not how you push someone out of this house!"

Letty fell silent, taken aback by his sharp tone. Nicole turned to Matteo, her eyes blazing with rage.

"Inhumane? She deserves to be treated like trash! No, worse! I don't want that trash walking around in this house!"

Matteo sighed heavily; he was equally angry.

"Do you want to torment Romilda? Go ahead. But she's not stupid. She's cunning. If she reports any of this to the police, who do you think they'll arrest?"

That shut them both up.

"Legally, Romilda is my wife. If anything happens to her because of you, I'll be the first to plead guilty."

Matteo stared them down one by one.

"First, for failing to protect my wife. Second, for failing to control my sisters. And third, for failing as a human being. We let our emotions turn us into monsters. Got it?"

Letty folded her arms. "She's just a wife on paper," she scoffed.

"But still, Romilda's my wife. Until we decide to end things, do not touch her."

With that, Matteo turned and stormed upstairs.

But he didn't go to his own room. He headed to Rose's room instead.

Matteo imagined that Romilda was probably laughing behind the door, enjoying how she'd shaken up the Cavanaugh household.

That thought reignited his fury.

Just as he was about to open the door, however, he heard quiet sobs from inside.

"Mom, what should I do? I'm only staying here for you. But I don't know how much more I can take. Am I a horrible person for staying just so you can get better?"

The voice was faint, but Matteo heard it clearly.

So it was true. Romilda had agreed to marry Matteo only so her mother could receive treatment. The realization hit him like a punch to the gut.

"God, what did I do back in that cabin? I almost forced myself on her. All along, she had only endured this for her mother's health."

Regret flooded Matteo.

"What have I done?"