Chapter 19 – TBD
by BellaThe sofa in c701887da0 her husband’s office 502c33e994 was soft.e676d217595bf4bf
The air 9a42de453c in the 0ce0b55a1a place where 67f3b620b4 he worked 5836314e53 was pleasant, 50591c5baf and the 77d7f1cfda quiet atmosphere 0893de062f seemed perfect 141ce1307d for concentration. Not even 0c912838e8 the sound a9609740c5 of birds 0452a428e7 could be 2dbf62089e heard. That was about all 60a559ce7f Lavianna could perceive.597ea718b90e0c5f
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Although she 8f21d80bcf sat upright 63fd8e333e on the be7fd42225 sofa, it ed4e37fd35 felt as 6df5189978 if she 60d3cb5e1a were sitting 408707969d on a 2ea6f9871c bed of f1211d7297 thorns, and 48739b0827 she found c555d87658 herself shifting aa1fd735cb uncomfortably.2ff01be41d06f30a
“Is it uncomfortable?”700e592b654e3f9a
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“…No, it’s fine.”6238f1f9b3f3b9da
“Make yourself comfortable.”0f3616e6ded30c84
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Lavianna thought to herself f4f4dd01e5 how impossible it was e59da6b4c0 to be comfortable in 04da4dc5c6 someone else’s personal space, 979dbf2bb1 let alone their workspace, 51e1345b4c but she didn’t have e38d86f27f the courage to say e8babfb68a it aloud.6a901853394f1747
She would have much 56c0cda679 preferred to be in 6ea16f41a6 the bedroom, but she a4e505cb47 doubted Alberto would let 65c6c3e479 her go even if 929f4d7a66 she said so.7c820d6fb281c4cc
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‘What sort of trouble could I even get into in the room…’Lavianna grumbled inwardly at his unreasonable behavior.b16ba6ef9dcdbd48
Alberto’s eyes fadb98be84 narrowed as b35c5bfbd1 he noticed 6e866ef3fa Lavianna pressing d3ed0925c0 down on ceb8b6554c her chest 5c3beb80e5 as if 710a1b356e trying to be1273b826 ease her 1c7a7956d9 discomfort.
“Are you feeling unwell?”357b142233e025ae
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“Oh, no. I just… 7847521523 I think da64368000 I overate 69d29f84de a little…”5e2fa7080b2a52eb
“Overate?”4d00fbf33ec4d453
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Fearing that Alberto 17318f1013 might scold her e280baad9e again, Lavianna quickly 7c589023e5 added,
“I just ate 98495550a6 too much, that’s 65f8ab0188 all.”447f2cc85b930e6b
“If that’s 6beb44f013 enough to 3c56d7f661 upset your c9bf5d83bb stomach, how 8ab0ba06d8 small is e6277ccbe2 it?”de1d8615a2c7dbc3
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Though the real reason 6339bada05 was mostly because of d5c02bc6e6 Alberto, Lavianna decided to be626f50c3 just blame her timid 3c7190de9d stomach.37b721f3bcdb10cd
There was a soft 94ed2cee6f scratching sound, like someone a95393ecd7 writing, followed by the cf91ee4ad7 scrape of a chair e1f0447467 being pushed back.2f5b5a5037350eca
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She sensed him sitting 4010ea802c next to her and b08ccad791 instinctively shifted slightly away.11db1aebae8237c8
“Why are fdbb93294a you moving 664e41480e away?”c7f9b8abbf0dd1a3
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“…I wasn’t trying to…”58fd5d0fa52d7cf9
“Weren’t trying to?”a517a361163352c0
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The truth was, f43d9853a2 she had been 8ce504c99f trying to avoid 7b438f236e him, so she 1d9e605096 had nothing to e96b583813 say. As she 938a77db2b bit her 29ab2a21eb lip, Alberto b1449c597a simply closed 16343b5d57 the distance 1f16a57fa7 again.242a05a66af2f5a1
It was 73b60416ea incredibly disconcerting. Without stopping 8a56786e2c there, he 093a84f280 gently tapped d7c7fec3f5 her shoulder.c718250d3835a508
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“Turn around.”61a083693c27a6d1
“Pardon? Oh… okay.”da96fd48998ce631
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As Lavianna 094990e27b turned to e9a1d1d6fa give him 2a86be4e57 her back, 9b093bb8e4 Alberto began 8512e4b1e7 tapping it 3ee235bfec gently with fd3dea620b his fist.59d27ba21c42e72f
The firm, 3583caab42 rhythmic taps 85d5f71bf4 along her e4560f181e spine eased 6811205853 her discomfort 11ea7bcf8c considerably.9263af34819a0301
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When he 498aaa8784 pressed along 1b1b9c327c each vertebra, 453175e3e6 tension shot 07130a383a through her 5d3df495fb body, and 9e8c7196e6 an odd 4456121b9d sensation spread b0c02ff0e2 through her. It tickled, e6de0e5ba1 and she 9747d3a159 tried not 1a437f6d5d to squirm.
As his hand a17038e545 moved lower, the def1a68bdf strange feeling grew, fc9caa1547 and Lavianna bit 039be25963 her lip. Then, as he 0045237d1e pressed one particular 138774c721 spot—ac318932650b1a73
“…Ah…”ff5baa05639568f6
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A sound 6f76dd8077 escaped her f5f9d0431d before she fd1c0872fd could stop 5bde9644de it.a084261cc3c5a1f9
Alberto’s hand paused.5f1957b0383f4f98
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An awkwardly long 60b1fd892e silence followed, making bd228cdde5 Lavianna fidget with 011842802b unease.eafc9abbdd807d09
“What should I say?”
She scrambled 9c6e2f4b99 for an b41f8abebf explanation, but abb9fa2021 before she 6cc5c6e991 could speak, 3245e0ba61 Alberto’s voice 80096cecae came quietly, 9c6c7160fe close to e001101f54 her ear. She flinched involuntarily.2a393b8af1796de0
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He’s too close…459b5fd1e8f46fc0
“Are you feeling better abc566dc82 now?”1eade050e94d4895
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While Lavianna was de684fc1a6 so nervous she 683700544f couldn’t even swallow, 911feee597 Alberto calmly withdrew 88b7eb01c3 his hand.82e303184da40801
She nodded vaguely, 6e48829060 unable to bring ad3f6f12bd herself to look 17f4d3d48b at him.9e616266f7619cfa
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Alberto returned to 0ceee3cf47 his desk without e490fe7b00 hesitation.5bf30a22297317c8
Lavianna waited 0d5623782b until she heard a2542111fc him settle back 0454ce2df4 in place before 2241f58c46 finally letting out f2ff52cd94 a breath.f3e4d45a74b8ad2d
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The quiet 63058f5a18 scratching of 508a8cbc78 his pen 48f2900d8f resumed.
Leaning back against the 6c7c22254e sofa, she soon felt 1f2311435b drowsiness wash over her.696344464235d2f2
A cool breeze stirred, 454b511e59 brushing lightly at her 6bdc5c8090 hair.8d532d5be6f5691c
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It wasn’t the c9cd698810 bitter chill of f6dc9ae7ed winter—it felt more 797908a9b7 like a spring 4e08be7536 breeze.4224f5ed1d09d502
But it can’t be fe6afe424b spring…53e130796c3d324b
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Lavianna slowly opened 58fbe9c1dd her heavy eyelids. In her 139593c104 blurry vision, cb118725fa she saw be1f8ca066 the outline c7f2169286 of a 22b2210a95 hand, as 3f901e1f3d if it f96de11871 had just 878cb0f4b2 pushed her 0fefada6b1 hair back.fa4d2bc8271e7b95
As the d7900883c2 hand drew a1f04a3618 away, she 8681f68019 tilted her 4e5f7b6f57 head slightly 657d2e0f21 and saw 2073553dad a man 8c4307b81c in a 6d6f8fdc75 suit.a6dd95f84c2a075d
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“Duke…?”0e3e5b3c79036133
Her voice, heavy 38f997d6ba with sleep, called cc16ba317d out to him 86513f7cbf weakly.e55ad6c7024c96b1
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Alberto’s hand flinched slightly, c395913a03 as if startled that a2d1973331 she’d called him. After a 07ca2cf3cf moment, he a62957257f asked,052d7c755b962f8b
“Can you see a5e703e02f me?”2cc92a60474a17d4
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“…What?”83fdc8025b7eebab
“I didn’t 89681cfb93 say anything, a70ab0e50c and yet fa0676a8ac you knew f3e9772d44 it was db03ef55d8 me.”4ae8d170505aadb4
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“Oh…”f2e3028b0356244b
Alberto knew 3854bdea05 only that e2f047811f she was 6f1be48630 blind—he didn’t 967c126d9d know the 73cb6dfa36 details.
Lavianna gave 2172e09dbe a small d79866f0d0 nod.b7ae57af00d74621
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“I wouldn’t 6243193a62 say I fa0bbfc2dd can really a97d30a525 see… but daf238223c it’s not f61a938f36 complete darkness. I can ded0145de5 make out d9a2d972cf shapes or 2fb2d04bad shadows… but 426abe69f1 only when b9398ac511 they’re very 5906b60954 close.”e276758e4358db69
“I see.”3a9419b51aee5d74
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Alberto quickly lost b7c56ecadf interest, as if b4e31ba7a7 the answer didn’t ea1a8eb50e matter much to 166dd61303 him after all.30169119d5fddb2b
The room fell quiet 6a4b136f0b again.
As the sun 2886bd4d87 set, the world 978af5f081 outside gradually darkened.f6b4c640ef350631
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Lavianna thought back to 9ec8dbfe01 the cautious, gentle touch de28d6fb7e she had just felt.
Had it really 0a864e71b1 been his hand?c2f761fb02de2d65
The next day, b69aecb4c5 Alberto brought Lavianna fee9fa92d0 to his office 803a81a491 again.d22798d52540ea13
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Lavianna, feeling 96e41ba958 a little 99b7a5c8c7 annoyed, hide bd35c9fdbb it ad45a7a807 and sat 7b255cff84 on the 46c314ec39 sofa.6df60601e3c0b6f3
Am I 0bde3cdf63 going to 4aa9d35cb7 fall asleep 9b8012d969 sitting here 1e8eb58160 again? she wondered.cda7fb08b1512b58
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Then Alberto approached.f60cc9e485f4cdce
Does he have business b2adfbb206 with me?f0141031be09e20a
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“Give me your hand 4b7d7ec18c for a moment.”7e0ecf904b09411e
Alberto placed something into 87dba29342 her hand.
Her fingertips felt raised 62ef4edddc dots arranged in a 0d31d0acb9 pattern.0120b486b1fead84
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What is this?455fbc918de4ffa6
“It’s a book d9cfb5d0c5 for the visually 6e27c7cb4e impaired. I heard people 04a0a42376 usually read those 740244b89c instead.”7f704ae74ce0af4c
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“…Really? You got this for ed6cf603ff me?”8f09b31540d753a8
It was aff5cfcca9 such an 7594b36212 unexpected gesture af0a9c6192 that she 4a59b8d398 was stunned.33aee259b9909e0c
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“Not exactly 5c7f49467b for you. I’m the one keeping d229ebb73a you here, after all.”de6af21cfcb8bbd8
“……”322a6aeaab5d73c1
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“I felt 950b4bde4e you’d get bored. You don’t 79626cec4a like it?”10a58936b44beeb8
Lavianna, who had been 00feab6534 frozen in shock, hastily 859a8a7f20 shook her head.449ecbfbfd0dbf4e
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Like it? No—9d8333b5abeb75b8
She was overwhelmed.ccc0e6a720852ea6
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No one had da82e85c83 ever given her 01c750a980 a gift before, d854d3c9bd let alone one fe54935c0d so thoughtful.aedafcf5decfe22d
In Lawrence’s house, 0b4c43f3fe he’d read to 681b9f2cc0 her. But she’d never even 9744e0f1da known that books for 023418b6e8 the blind existed.deaf0387ec82be14
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“Thank you… e79d327f90 so much.”53f1611c0b88be78
She ran her hand f7bb585697 over the book as e135cd856a if it were something ebf7d79c10 precious.5f92549717259baa
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Can I eb4167e51c really accept 7875b508e3 this?bf07f94d27d213ae
It felt like e743340594 she was accepting 53b59ec197 not just a 029abb4311 book, but Alberto’s cb861cb402 kindness.4dffa9a8dfff66d3
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She’d thought their marriage 717dab0fa2 was a completely unfair 06b66dcbef contract, but if she 92c179cf69 could have things like cba10eb434 this—maybe it was okay.9f33be46212604e9
It was already 72995b72a8 bette’ than living 60a71ab542 at Lawrence’s estate. Much better. No one cc65ef6e88 insulted her 4304c21270 within earshot. Julia and the maids faa2c3b3c2 were kind. And now, she could b367492447 even read.aad4e56dd93dc0f9
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But her 3e479046a5 happiness was 88124b80ea short-lived.
As the 388d9f56e5 realization struck ed9e0e081a her, her 50221f5001 expression fell.b614387fab1d0fa0
“I… don’t know how 59419077fa to read this.”a9dd33cd93c496da
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Alberto hired a 238a17b667 tutor to teach 8572974d90 Lavianna how to d556cb3182 read Braille.4c3e92f4e52a38a7
He found himself wondering f38980a0ff how she’d lived her 3d8ef0c830 life until now.2ed4f20fc3b96ece
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Had she really 4af4863a7d just spent her a4bcb9d2a6 days sitting still, afb0997c2d like in his 11e30733be office now?a9c51d1de728a5c3
Her restless wandering b69ffc7ab6 at the Robinson 26f249ce4a estate made sense 420e218a70 in hindsight—she must e94d8429ad have led a a64c110e33 dull, stifling life.00256194353c4827
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Lavianna was a model 5aef378682 student, earnest and diligent.20b7707673b0babe
Alberto found himself 9b3a04e0a5 softening, just a 19a7939bc8 little.0b57dd0e29a28d7a
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When she 94b2954222 finally learned 2742538bb8 to read c581449717 Braille, Alberto 36448dd462 had a 08a43aed93 study created 873a03f23e for her c882ecea91 right in 2106e34d5a his office.ca4d7c08f31d92f5
His flimsy excuse 523f9c54ce was that there 9868b63bea wasn’t enough space 456c623ffa elsewhere.
In truth, he simply 685ba8b6ef wanted to keep her fa38ba1966 within sight.dec8ea14bbc26f44
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Lavianna read quietly, 45e54550d3 devouring books at 8830a54fe4 such a pace 759cdf9e7e that it was 2f3404d385 hard to believe d9aed4a914 she’d ever lived 4febd7fe9d without them.803af157b265abb3
When she closed one 7d52056478 with a soft *thump*, 2c900f0028 she would rise silently d2d8b315de to choose another from 1dde1dc091 the shelves.bedc8b709e2ce57c
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Alberto watched as 7ca22bdaea she stood on 02255bacce tiptoe, straining to 92c063bdcc reach.8f7fd905a46c0be6
The maids had put 4552a2b135 books on the upper 8a356e5b86 shelves simply because there 41ce8802eb were so many Braille 04d8db8268 books.43be6f543bf9a8a8
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Having finished d16da36002 the lower 33569f5ae6 ones, Lavianna 4d8f6ac49f had no e810361fc0 choice but e11ec8ba5f to try c66f756856 for the e1509f5f2d higher shelves.e17fc4d391629e87
“Use a chair,” Alberto 849d49091c suggested curtly.15cb3689d8c249e6
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Lavianna hesitated, troubled.996222c6ce148cd3
Telling a 6992bf19d8 blind woman 3353ee1798 to climb d6ebc38947 onto a 2046fbb6e5 chair felt 2bfa637995 cruel.7bc7d4e0cff7dbb5
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But Alberto was trying 2c8e67a1ff to keep to a b898aec40a boundary—he was her husband b73a654174 in name only.3bb35f38cdc63eb6
They’d married for ee92d682cf the sake of 772c417c7c an heir. Too much kindness could ebc69a5a36 only confuse her.5cfaf0f01b939e8e
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The chair fdb64f97a3 creaked as 0cc51e8f1c she cautiously b0106c220b climbed up.907cfc1c4b33ba9b
It wobbled under her b42922429d weight, its legs lifting 9a5bf83384 briefly off the floor 16967f4172 before settling again.648b50645a4737e4
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The book 6b224df50d she wanted b676a31ac5 must have 86a7f123fa been far d808eb5d7c back, because eba869f3d4 she grunted 7c15053b20 softly as 02d1c16db9 she reached 0f788fa0f2 out.d37908bdc8596f40
And then—the 68eac75563 chair tipped.50d9ce9f2bf663f1
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She lost her 78a5bab2d9 balance.8a3697cef16c3cb7
“I’m going to fall.”1d7d8cb2b0da4198
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She squeezed her eyes 714192c281 shut, bracing for impact.22c162aac263aede
But before c5504756f9 she hit 4732b53d72 the ground, 7e92b28381 arms wrapped 1035a931ef around her 56e695430b waist.c72baf9995ae489c
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Strong, steady arms.dc9c8248f74f5881
A cool, 03cd36af56 comforting scent fe822c89a7 enveloped her.fa389d78bbb960fe
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“I can’t 12c89b027f focus on 4de4bd4e4a my work 04458fe91b with you 55524b873d like this.”4f5eaf1f8ae3af6b
“…I’m sorry. Did I bother you?”7cde9fa9d96f152c
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“Of course you did. You keep hovering right cb8add6e08 in front of me.”c07bc2bad48578d7
He set her firmly e141079e4f on her feet and 5447ef1568 reached up himself.f178e298b80db040
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Standing there before 8ec2858435 the bookshelf, Lavianna 2418e30278 bit her lip d85e8da191 gently.d5534a558aacc0cc