CHAPTER 8: ALMOST A MAN AND A WIFE

Cullan clashes with Isidore to defend his angel of a wife from the old hag. He also takes Alynna to Paris. Will their 'real' honeymoon happen there?

Chapter 8: Almost A Man And A Wife

 

Sweetheart,

You were wonderful last night; I could have just spent the whole morning watching you in your sleep. Will you let me crash in your room again tonight?

 

Alynna blushed a bright crimson as she repeatedly read the note on the bedside table. There was no sign, but she knows who was it from. She pulled her hair in shame, unaware that she was doing that. How could she have done such inexcusable deeds to her husband?

God, mi perdoni per quello che ho fatto.

Alynna was ashamed to even get out from the room. She can see how ruffled the sheets on the bed are, an evidence that someone slept with her there. She took the pillow on the other side of the bed and smelled it. It smelled woody and fresh, with a hint of cinnamon and pine.

Definitely like Cullan.

Alynna dropped the pillow as if it scorched her. She remembered how she kissed him passionately, how she dropped all her inhibitions as she straddled him "

“No!” Alynna burst, feeling ashamed, panicked and guilty all at the same time.

She cannot believe that she did those things, added to the fact that it was even her husband who stopped her advances. It was as if a demon possessed her body, making her act in ways she would have never done. It was as if her judgment was clouded by something that her own body dictated and controlled, and she was hopeless to resist.

A woman’s pride cannot be more damaged.

Alynna decided not to go out of her room the whole day in shame.

*

 

Isidore was surprised to hear that Cullan was waiting for her in the library. She did not expect him to be away from his wife during their honeymoon, and honestly, she was caught off-guard by his sudden visit.

Isidore walked into the library and found her new son-in-law sitting comfortably in the chair in front of the desk. She watched Cullan stand up in greeting.

“Good morning, Mother.”

Isidore was taken aback. She was not used to be called ‘Mother’ by other people, especially by a very handsome young man.

“Please darling, call me Isidore. I don’t really prefer being reminded of my age " which is like twenty something.” She sweetly said and then took the massive chair behind the desk. They looked at each other while Cullan remained silent.

“What brings you here at this time, sweetie? Honeymoon not going well?” Isidore joked. Cullan chuckled.

“Contrary to your belief, we are having a very…busy honeymoon, so please allow me to skip the tara-doodles and get straight to the point. I am in dire need to be with my wife as soon as possible.” Cullan said, suddenly losing the smile in his face. Isidore was getting slightly pricked.

“Oh, that’s okay darling. Tell me, what can I do for you?”

Cullan smiled again. He wanted to strangle this woman for hitting Alynna, but he held himself back and reminded himself why he was here in the first place.

Cullan pulled a big attaché case from the floor and lifted it up to the table. He can see the question in his mother-in-law’s eyes. He opened the attaché case and a neat pile of crunchy, green, dollar bills was inside.

Isidore’s eyes literally went blank and were replaced by two, glinting dollar signs.

“What…what are these for?” Isidore asked. Cullan’s face became serious.

“This is worth one million dollars. From what I learned, you forced my wife to come back since she needed you to pay for her uncle’s medication. In total, you have spent only thirty thousand dollars. But I am here to pay you much more than that. Consider it as my wife’s payment for all her debt to you.” Cullan said in a flat tone. Isidore rose from her chair.

“I was merely helping my husband’s brother recover. I…don’t you dare accuse me of anything!” Isidore said, her voice loud. Cullan was not affected.

“I am not accusing you of anything. Let’s drop the pretenses now, shall we? I understand that you are holding Alynna’s debt to you over her head, and now that she is married to me, her debt is mine. Accept the generous payment, Isidore. No one will ever offer you a payment this much in your whole lifetime again.” Cullan cajoled, his eyes full of wrath. Isidore was not stupid enough to challenge him.

“Alright, I accept your payment.” Isidore said, her eyes glinting in mixed anger and greed. She tried to get the attaché case, but Cullan pulled it away from her reach. Isidore grumbled.

“One more thing.” Cullan said.

“What is it?” Isidore irritably asked. Her hands are itching to get hold of the money.

“Don’t you ever threaten my wife in any way again.”

Isidore was surprised. Cullan really was serious.

“Why shouldn’t I? I am her mother, and as her mother, it is my right to-”

“We all know that she is not your daughter. And don’t think for a second that I don’t know you hit her on our wedding night. So before I take extreme measures to stop you, just accept what I offer and stay away from Alynna from now on.” Cullan said; anger evident in his voice. Isidore was silent.

“Do we have a deal, Miss Isidore?” Cullan asked. Isidore threw him dagger looks.

“Of course.” Isidore finally answered. Cullan’s look was triumphant.

“Great choice. Now that she is free from any debts, tell her not to worry about anything and that you will continue to pay for her uncle’s expenses, when in fact, I will be the one to send the money needed from now on. Do not let her know about our meeting and my taking over of the responsibility of sending financial support for her uncle. Are we in agreement to that?” Cullan asked. Isidore’s eyes shined with malice.

“Why are you doing this for her?” Isidore asked. Cullan shrugged.

“As what I have said earlier, she is now my wife and all her debts are mine too. A Rothschild cannot have a debt from anyone.” Cullan answered, emphasizing Alynna’s inclusion to the rich and grand Rothschild family. Isidore gritted her teeth.

“I think that you are in love with our daughter that is why you are doing all of this.” Isidore said. Cullan remained silent and Isidore realized that she hit a nerve.

“I am right!” she exclaimed. Cullan closed the attaché case and put it on the table.

“As what I have said before, she is not your daughter.” Cullan said in a careless tone and then walked to the door.

“Is this her worth, like you are buying her from us? One million dollars?” Isidore asked maliciously. Cullan stopped but did not bother to look back. He cannot rein in his anger any longer.

“No. She’s priceless. But I am sure that that amount is already pricey for yours.”

“B*****d!” Isidore screamed as Cullan left the library. She thought of throwing the money back to him, but Isidore thought otherwise. This is money they are talking about, and she is not stupid and dramatic enough to consider giving it back.

*

 

Alynna spent much of the day talking in the phone with Sisters Theresa and Marian. They relayed to her news about her uncle’s progressive recovery, and they told her that he had already started his first chemotherapy session. Alynna was worried, yet happy too, since the doctors are optimistic about her uncle’s condition.

“I wish I could speak to uncle, Sister.” Alynna said.

“He is resting now, bambina. But if you can see him now, you will know that he is fine. His cheeks are gaining a little color, and his eyes were not as shrunken as before. His breathing is not much labored than before, too. We all have to thank you for making this possible.” Sister Theresa answered; joy evident in her voice. Alynna smiled.

“I am hoping to see all of you soon, Sister. I really miss Rome.”

“You will, soon. But for now, don’t forget to always pray to God for help and guidance. Your uncle is a good man. He will surely listen to all your pleas for him, child.” The nun answered comfortingly. Alynna closed her eyes.

“I understand, Sister.” Alynna said, before hanging up. She will not wait for the nun to discover that she had been crying all throughout their phone conversation.

*

 

Bella was frustrated. Yesterday she was the talk of the world, and now, everyone cannot help but talk about Cullan Rothschild’s lovely wife. Worse, they are all comparing Bella to her ‘sister’ and Bella was always the underdog.

“Could you please stop talking about her?” she once roared in their dressing and makeup room, and all the other models turned their cheeks on her.

“She acts so high when her sister is way more beautiful than her.”

“She needs hibernation, not a beauty rest, if she wants to even get close to the new Mrs. Rothschild’s glamour.”

“Did you see how Alynna Hall complemented Cullan Rothschild’s looks? They are like, royal couple! They will surely have pretty babies.”

“No wonder Cullan turned this one down, since she happens to have a sister who can make her look like a phase-out dress.”

Bella had enough. She confronted one of her fellow VS models and grabbed the woman’s skinny arm.

“Go on, b***h, and you are one word away from being b***h-slap so hard you’ll be flying somewhere where even Google will not find you!” Bella snarled, shaking sense out of her co-models. The other girls screamed.

“Shut your mouth, darlings!” Bella told the other girls in a sickly sweet tone. “I see no penises nearby for you to keep opening your pouts.” She said viciously, and the other models fled out of the room. No one can handle Bella’s words. When it comes to trash talking, Bella will always stand out. She let go of the model she was holding and pushed her out of the room.

“That hell of a b***h.” Bella murmured as she continued applying the makeup she badly needed. The hangover due to previous night’s party made her skin look pasty, and her under eyes sunken. She tried putting concealer over her skin, but it made her look funny and her complexion cakey.

“Where the hell are my makeup artists?!” Bella shouted, throwing her mascara wand to the door. She realized that the stylists went out with the other models a while ago.

*

 

For the remaining days of their honeymoon, Cullan introduced his wife to the life fitted for a Rothschild. They left the private island and he took her to Paris via private jet where he bought her designer clothes, fed her in the best restaurants, took her to operas and showered her with lots of attention. It was so obvious to him that Alynna was not used to being pampered like a queen, and she prefers simplicity, but at least, he owed her this much. Since Alynna came to his life, Cullan seemed to have found a purpose, as if he was forever driving through a tunnel and had only seen the light at its end after he met Alynna. With her, Cullan can be himself, and as much as he did not like to admit it, being with his wife makes him thank God for the first time, for He gave him a wonderful person to take care of.

Hell, he would jump off a cliff if that means being with her.

“Cullan, we’re going too high.” Alynna said in a worried voice as they rode the elevator that will take them to the top of the Eiffel Tower. Alynna previously took note of the lack of other tourists in the tower, but Cullan just shrugged and said nothing. His lovely little wife cannot know that he purposely reserved the Eiffel Tower that night just for the two of them.

Cullan took her gloved hand to comfort her and he then surveyed the whole City of Lights. The yellow glow from the buildings and cars were like Christmas lights, and as they go higher, the view becomes more beautiful.

But his wife was already close to fainting.

“Cullan, I’m…”

“What’s wrong?” Cullan asked. Alynna was leaning on the elevator door, clearly staying as far as possible from the glass wall of the elevator.

“Are you scared of heights?!”

“Cullan…”

Cullan understood what was happening and used his body to block the view. Alynna was so scared to see that only a glass separates her from a deadly fall. Cullan assured her that she is safe, but she cannot be calmed by words.

“Sweetheart, close your eyes.”

As soon as Alynna did what he told her to do, Cullan grabbed her away from the elevator door and kissed her softly, comfortingly, and he can feel her trembling. He held both of her hands to his, and put them around his waist. When he let go of her hands, she did not remove them from where they are. He kissed her tenderly, removing all her fears. He felt her relax.

“Can you see anything you fear of?” Cullan whispered as he kissed her.

“No.” Alynna answered, her eyes still closed.

“Good.” He said and he continued their languid kiss, his warm hands roaming behind her back, stroking her nape, her spine, and down to her hips. Alynna moaned in his mouth and his hand went to her hair to tilt her head sideways for a deeper kiss, his other hand holding her hips.

The elevator door opened, but the two were so busy kissing that they did not notice the door is now wide open.

“Bonsoir, welcome to the top of the Eiffel Tower.”

Cullan and Alynna broke off their kiss as soon as they heard the attendant’s voice. His face showed no sign that he saw anything unusual. Alynna blushed. Cullan coughed.

“This way, please.” The attendant said, leading them to a hallway.

Cullan held Alynna’s hand and smiled. Alynna cannot help but smile back. They followed the attendant until they reached a wide veranda, where there was a huge telescope standing beside a picnic blanket and a candlelit dinner table. The smell of foie gras wafted in the air, and a bottle of champagne sat cold inside an ice bucket.

They are literally above Paris.

“Profitez vous-mêmes, Monsieur, Mademoiselle.” The attendant said as he bowed low and left them alone.

“What did he say?” Alynna asked Cullan as she watched the attendant went out of her sight. Cullan pulled a chair and have her seated there before he answered.

“He said, let’s ‘enjoy ourselves’.” Cullan said as he sat on the chair opposite Alynna’s. They stared each other for a while, not knowing that each of them was marveling just how good-looking the other is.

“Let’s eat. I’m starving.” Cullan said, breaking off the silence. Alynna followed him suit.

They enjoyed the sumptuous meal, and afterwards, Cullan poured her champagne in very small amounts. His wife felt guilty of drinking. She was so convinced that it is a sin to consume liquor. Cullan was not surprised. Alynna ultimately wants to live as church-obedient as possible. He, on the other hand, drank heartily.

“Aside from helping other people, which of course, is a good act, why do you want to be a nun so bad?” Cullan asked as he watched his wife sip on the champagne. Alynna considered his question for a long moment.

“If not for my Uncle Fabian and Sisters Theresa and Marian, I don’t know where I will be now. I owe everything to them, and if I become a nun-”

“If?”

“When I become a nun,” Alynna corrected, “I will travel to many places, live in different parishes, so I can reach out to more people. I will organize soup kitchens, medical missions, Bible studies…it’s my calling. God’s calling cannot be rejected, so I shall be a nun.”

“What if being a nun is not your real calling after all?” Cullan asked.

Alynna was lost for words. No one ever asked her that question, not even herself.

“What if being a wife to someone who will love you truly is your calling? What if you want to be a nun because you had lived all your life with the clergy that you were not exposed to dream of something else?” Cullan added. Alynna felt confused.

“Then if being a nun is not meant for me, I am sure that God will make a way to let me realize what my true calling is.” Alynna answered. Cullan held her hand.

“Sweetheart, God already did. You just have to open your eyes and see for yourself.”

 

“Let me show you something.” Cullan said as he and Alynna lay under the Parisian night sky. They finished their meal and champagne, and after that, Cullan led her to the picnic blanket close to the telescope. They lay there, hand in hand, savoring the silence, the fresh breeze of cold air on their cheeks, marveling at how the stars twinkle brighter and how they appear larger when viewed from the top deck of the Eiffel Tower.

Cullan helped Alynna sit up and then moved the telescope closer to them. Alynna looked into the eyepiece and exclaimed in delight as she randomly viewed the stars. Cullan smiled. It is a joy for him to see his wife very happy. He knew that with the kind of family she has in the States, a smile or laugh must be rare enough.

“Come here, let me focus it for you.” Cullan offered. Alynna moved away and let him do the focusing. When everything was ready, Cullan gave the spot to her.

She gasped in awe.

“I…this is a very beautiful star!” Alynna exclaimed.

“That’s the Polaris, or the ‘North Star’. Some also call it the ‘Guiding Star’. There are many stars out there, but that is the most special to me.” Cullan said. Alynna looked at him.

“Why?”

“Because Polaris is very much like you.”

Alynna was surprised as she looked at him, and more so when Cullan held her face and stroke it gently.

“Where the Polaris is, there the North is. Other stars maybe difficult to spot among the thousands of stars out there, but not Polaris, because it never moves from its place in the sky. It will always guide you. Many sailors across the ages avoided being lost in the vast oceans because of Polaris’ help. Shakespeare even referred to it in one of his sonnets. Shakespeare said, ‘It is the star to every wandering bark’. For him, Polaris is like Love. It will direct you to the right path.”

Alynna looked into the eyepiece again and stared at the brightest star. This big ball of light had saved millions of people. It also inspired the one person whom she feels a strong connection with.

“Alynna…you are my Guiding Star.”

Alynna was close to tears. She cannot say anything, but she just looked at Cullan’s face and told herself that this could not be a dream. Please God, do not let this be a dream.

“And as what I already told you, the Guiding Star never moves from its place.”

“Cullan…we will be divorced soon enough.”

“I know, but you will always hold that spot in my life. There can’t be two Polaris, or I’ll be lost.”

Author's Note

Thank you for reviewing Marrying A Wannabe Nun! All reviews, feedback, and suggestions are welcome, although I am requesting that your review be published after finishing my book. Marrying A Wannabe Nun is on Goodreads too, if you want to drop by and post your review.