Page 20 of Downfall

The man sighs and walks away.

“Everything okay?” I ask.

Darius smiles. “Nothing to worry your pretty head.” He says raising his glass to chink against mine. “But let me ask you Rose, you and Paris have been together, four years…”

“Five.” I say. Five long years.

“Why have you never had children?”

I gulp. The words seem to send a shiver through me. Children? In what world would I want to bring children into the wreck that is my marriage? I open my mouth to reply, to say something, anything but then Paris is back.

“What are you talking about?” He asks. His eyes fixing more on me than Darius as if he sees some sort of conspiracy, as if I’m so conniving I might be able to turn his own uncle against him.

“Children.” Darius says smiling.

“Excuse me?” Paris says.

“You two have been married long enough. Is there some medical reason why you haven’t had babies?”

I drop my eyes. I don’t want to look at either of them. Paris slides his hand back around my waist and it’s all I can to just stand there and not recoil from his skin against mine.

“No reason.” He says smoothly.

“Then get to it. I want to have nieces and nephews enough to fill these halls. And with a wife as beautiful as Rose is, every single one will be a heartbreaker.”

Paris smiles more. “Is that a direct order from the Governor himself?”

Darius laughs.

“Do you need an order to fuck your wife Paris?” Calvin says walking up to the three of us.

I try not to flinch as I look at him. Though Darius is Governor, we all know Calvin is just as powerful. That he has his nasty little fingers so firmly in every aspect of Verona life that he might as well have a crown on his god damn head.

I hate him. I can’t even pinpoint why but I do. Something about him puts the fear of god into me. He scans his eyes over me in such a predatory way that I want to sprint from this room and never look back only Paris’s hands are gripping me so tightly I couldn’t escape if I wanted to.

Paris makes some comment that I don’t hear. Calvin replies slapping him on the back and the three of them laugh while I’m stood trying not to look outraged. Somehow I don’t think it’s the drink talking right now and even if it was, it still wouldn’t make any of this acceptable.

Paris leads me away and because everyone here can clearly see us, he makes a good show of giving me attention, playing the doting husband. And I make just a good show of being the perfect wife.

More cameras flash. I’d put money on our image being front page.

And when the evening is finally over we get into our chauffeured car, still smiling, and disappear into the night.

Roman

I’ve taken to stalking her. First it was just one night. One logical reason too. I needed to scope out the place. I needed to see it for myself. If I’m going to bring them down then it makes sense.

It’s logical.

But then I came back again, watching the next night too. Seeing their interactions, seeing the way they lived, the way they fit together.

And tonight I took it one step further. I followed them to this event the Governor was hosting. I watched as she walked with her husband’s arm lovingly around her, watched as she laughed with Darius and Calvin too.

She’s done well. I’ll give her that. The traitorous bitch. She’s done very well in fact. No doubt her father is proud of his achievements. His little whore of a daughter has ensured the Capulets will always stay in the Governor’s good books and for a moment, as I watch the three of them, Darius, Rose and Paris, I wonder if she’s fucking him too. If she’s fucking the Governor.

I wouldn’t put it past her. I wouldn’t put anything past her at this point.

They wander off. The happily married couple. His arm still around her waist and if anything that grates me more, the way he holds her, the way he seems to possess every bit of air she exists in.

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