One Betrayal, 100 Apologies

[Adelina Antolini]

Of all the nights that Adelina Antolini decided to break some serious news to her husband, it had to be when she saw the flashback of her and another man. It was when Carlo had been so focused on something other than their relationship and marriage, that Adelina fell into a world of temptation. She was so desperate to get the love and affection that she had yearned from only one, and ended up falling pregnant to the other man's child. To her relief after all these years, Clara looked similar to her. She barely looked like the than that was her father. Adelina never told the man, after losing contact with him after her affair. It drove her to where she drank silently every night for months, hammered with guilt. The drinking only started after Clara was born. She passed it off as postpartum depression. It worked rather well, except the fact that she had never had that, luckily. At least, not severe enough to bring her to drink. Even now, as she was removing her shoes, she stumbled a little bit since she had a little too much champagne. Gripping the wall in case she would come falling down, Adelina successfully removed her other shoe.

"That party, it was something else, dear," Adelina finally spoke, her soft words laced with guilt as she was about to just spill everything. He had been clueless for so long, so she thought. "Seeing Orsino with that little tart-er, Galaxy. I don't know if I am ready for his marriage so soon." Adelina was the loving mother, but she was also the concerned one right now, when her children were not behaving properly. She did not see Orsino as not behaving, but this was something she pictured to be unlike him. Yet, she was not angry, nor was she ever, about him fathering a child before marriage. That did not come as a shock to her. He did have his father's good looks. And, if Adelina could do it all again, she would happily sleep with her husband before marriage. The thrill it brought her as a teenager. It was just so long ago, it seemed. "Honey, I need to talk to you." That's it, bring it slowly. Adelina looked toward her husband, and the gentle smile was no where to be found. She must tell him the truth. She had to. She wanted to be truthful and not hold any secrets. She loved him too much to hurt him, but this had to be done. Any longer, and it would only make it worse.​

 

[Carlo Antolini]

Carlo was still in a lull of disbelief and anger at the events of the New Year's party. There was no question that he and Adelina loved their children, unconditionally and through thick and thin. Their family was their life and as all their children were getting older, becoming adults and moving away from home, Carlo knew he would continue to stand by their sides if they needed him to. This was the reason that not once in Carlo's life, until the events that unfolded in front of his eyes at the New Years party, did he ever think about not supporting one of his children. It had been a taboo subject, and something entirely off the cards. Blasphemy in every sense of the word. But Orsino deciding to interrupt a family gathering, just to propose to some girl they had been introduced to only a few short hours prior riled up Carlo's nerves like nothing had before. The child out of wedlock, he could handle. The lack of contact, and the amount of time he had waited to meet his grandchild, he could also handle. However proposing at one of the most inappropriate times was something Carlo couldn't handle in spite of how supportive he know he should have been. He was sure that he had taught his son better, and that Orsino did know better, and that he had the ability to think things through rather than bringing someone that may as well have been a stranger into the family in what felt like a moment's notice.

Carlo rubbed the bridge of his nose with his fingers as he listened to Adelina share her thoughts on the night. "I'm not ready for it either. I don't think anybody is. It happened out of nowhere, for Merlin's sake." He was visibly stressed out, craving another cigarette and a glass of whiskey so he could at least try to calm down enough to gather the ability to think about this rationally rather than allowing his feelings of disappointment over his son's actions ruin his night. If Carlo had the choice, he would already be on an impromptu vacation with Adelina to clear his head from the stress of his son's repeatedly stupid decisions. It nearly angered him more to know that his responsibilities were keeping him at his home for the time being. He very much wanted to rant for hours on the events from the night. To share with Adelina everything he had been thinking as Orsino proposed and as Vicenzo stormed away from the party. To feel relieved and thankful for he and Ade's like-mindedness when she agreed with every word he let out of his mouth. But before his thoughts burst at the seems he was forced to swallow them back as Adelina said she needed to talk. He was momentarily surprised at the sudden change in mood but nodded in response to his wife. "Talk to me about what?" He queried, with an ounce of uncertainty to his voice.​

 

[Adelina Antolini]

The whole idea of the marriage made her a little bit squeamish, but it seemed as though her husband felt the same way. Her heart hung heavy. Adelina thought that Orsino and Galaxy were only marrying for the sake of the baby. Perhaps not for love. Not like her and Carlo. She knew him since she was basically in the sandbox. From the moment she was eleven, she vowed to be his wife within her heart. She always wanted to be married to him, and never regretted a single ounce of it. That was why she was worried about her son. Did he love Galaxy like she loved Carlo? They have had their ups and downs, and always worked through it. But, would he ever forgive her for finding comfort in the arms of another man? She doubted it. She had to tell him. It was tugging on her every last heartstrings. She needed to tell him. Letting out a sigh, she murmured, "Remember over a decade ago, you started to work a lot, and we grew distant? It was a bad time for us, and I remember it well. Something happened that I didn't really tell you about." The night that Adelina craved another man so much, she visited a bar only to find an army man there. She managed to sleep with him that night, and from that incident, Clara was conceived. She was the only pure-blood in the Antolini family, because her father was not Carlo. It was in fact, a Romanes.

"One night, I spent it away from the house because I felt neglected. There was a man..." Adelina faded off, cupping her hand to her mouth because she felt that she was going to throw up. How could she have been so heartless. So cruel. How could she have done this to the love of her life? How she lied to the entire family, saying that Clara was definitely Carlo's. How could she have done this to him? Adelina's voice cracked as tears lined her eyes that only revealed guilt and depression, "He is...Clara's father." Adelina thought that she was definitely going to be sick, but she needed to get this off her chest. She had to apologize. It would not be enough, but it was clear that she regretted her moment of weakness. "I'm so sorry, Carlo. I truly am!" Adelina prayed that her marriage was not over. She could not bare to survive without the man that she called her husband.​

 

[Carlo Antolini]

Carlo, still surprised by Adelina changing the subject, only managed to nod and loosen his tie as she spoke. That time in their marriage was more than a decade ago and he remembered parts of it vividly but much of it had become a blur due to how exhausted and stressed out he had been over his work and the months following. Spending every day working from the moment he woke up early in the morning until the latest hours of the night had taken such a toll on his body and his mind that everyone in his life, including Adelina, had been pushed to the wayside. He did realize after looking back on that year that some of the work had been pointless, and while looking back he wished he had not wasted all that time being away from his family. But in the end all his work had resulted in a promotion which had benefited their family in the long run and it was that promotion he had used that as an excuse for working so hard. Adelina bringing up that year out of nowhere did not make sense because he thought it was forgotten about, left in the past now that he had made up for his absence and a father and husband. But he continued to nod along as his wife spoke hoping she would explain herself sooner or later. "What didn't you tell me about?" He asked when she paused between sentences. Entirely clueless to what her next words would be and slightly concerned at her serious tone.

Carlo began to understand where her story was going but chose to remain in a state of disbelief. He knew Adelina. They had been best friends since the sandbox, and had stuck together through everything, from their awkward teenage years and to their children being born. Yet there was no way he could have predicted the words that came out of her mouth. He did not know how he was supposed to react, or even if he could react, because he had never once considered that Adelina, the woman he had known for nearly his entire life would betray him during the one year he put his career before anything else. He sat down and shook his head, choosing not to say anything to her confession as if to deny what was happening and what had happened so he could push it to the back of his conscience and bury it behind every other pressing thought in his mind. What else was he supposed to do? Talk to her about this, risk their entire marriage and the life they had worked so hard to build? He shook his head a second time, his gaze moving to the floor hoping he could find any excuse to change the subject so they could continue with their night like Adelina had not said a thing. He shifted one of his feet along the wooden floor, hearing a rattle under his chair. Leaning forward, Carlo reached under the chair and picked up the source of the rattle which just happened to be the earring Adelina couldn't find earlier in the night. "Would you look at that?" He said, a forced cheerful tone constricting his voice. "I just found your earring. I wonder how it got underneath my chair."

His eyebrows furrowed before he stood up and handed the earring to her, acting as if the earring was the cure for all their problems but it was merely an excuse for him to pretend like the last few minutes of his life hadn't existed. "I'm practically falling asleep on my feet. Should we call it a night?" Carlo offered his hand to Adelina, assuming she would take it and follow him to bed so they could get a good night's sleep however he had a gut feeling he would not sleep a wink.

i'm sorry this took so long! and i'm sorry its so bad​

 

[Adelina Antolini]

Adelina waited for her news that she spoke to settle in. She did not want to hurt her husband, and it was apparent that she hated what she did, and she would never seek that man out again (though he was dead in a war now on another continent). Adelina could not risk hurting her marriage further than she had already. She felt that this was a larger offence than what he did. It was all connected, but all the blame would be to her because she promised to be loyal, and she was not. She was not the type to desperately seek attention when her husband was busy. Adelina did not want that to be the case at all. She was never like that. Adelina was normally shy, empathetic, and just all around loving to anyone that crossed her path, except the tart that was now going to marry her son. Carlo shook his head, and she murmured, "Carlo." It was more or less to herself, since she was a little afraid of losing him. That was her boggart. She never wanted to see Carlo walk out the door. She could not really see how he was reacting to this, but she did not hear anything. No sounds of anger, betrayal, nothing. What was he doing? Instead, he reached under the chair.

His voice was forced, and Adelina's heart simply broke. She walked over and held out her hand as Carlo approached her to hand her the earring. A forced smile, and a laugh escaped her lips, "Huh, how about that." She took out the double, and ended the spell so that it vanished. She took out the other one and held them within her hand, before she put it away with magic, back to the jewelry box. She had a feeling that Carlo was running from the problem, and for now, it was not time for her to press it. He needed to feel in his own time. He wanted to go to bed, and with her. Probably just to sleep though. Adelina gingerly took his hand into her own, and she gave a loving smile, though her eyes were full of sadness and regret of what she did, "All right, honey. Let's go to bed." Adelina followed her husband toward their bedroom, while her mind raced. Carlo, was she could to lose him? Was she could to be without her other half? She hoped not.​