This Is My Love

After the two best weeks of my entire life of romping around Italy with Pete, we returned home. We both had a week left until Pete started working on his new album and I had some obligations to fulfill, as well as numerous TV and radio interviews, everyone wanting to know "how married life was treating us", and since we did our best to keep the details of our wedding private, we figured we owed it to our fans to let them in on some things.
I stood and worked on a dinner of pot roast and cabbage and potatoes while Pete ran to the store to grab some wine. As I stirred the cabbage and potatoes, the front door bell rang. I placed the large spoon down and furrowed my eyebrows.
"Who could that be?" I murmured as I walked towards the front door. I turned the door knob and swung the door open to reveal a dark haired woman that I didn't recognize. I thought maybe a determined fan had found out where we lived and come to meet us, but this woman had an amused smirk on her face. As I looked closer, it hit me. I would recognize that smirk anywhere.
"Vicky Livings?" My jaw dropped and my hand slipped off the doorknob as I went limp in shock. She held the smirk on her face and nodded her head.
"Hello, Ano Aniani, or should I say Ano Hernandez?" She brought a magazine up and held it in my line of vision. On the cover was a picture of Pete and I on the stage together, and the head line was "Bruno Mars and Marley Medley Finally Wed!"
"Congratulations," she said in her fake friendly voice she used to use with me all the time in high school.
"Uhm... Thanks?" I croaked. She placed the magazine in her purse and then moved so that she could look over my shoulder and into the house.
"Nice place," she mumbled. "Is Peter here?"
Memories of her pursuing Pete in high school ran through my mind. How she would treat me nice in front of him and nasty when he wasn't around, how she would say that one of those days he would realize his feelings for her and push me to the side where I belonged, how one day she would have him. But why all of a sudden is she trying? Why now?
I stepped to my side so I was once again blocking her view and shook my head.
"No, he's not. What do you want, Vicky?" I asked in a fed up tone. Her smirk turned into a smile at my tone.
"Well, Ano, there's something really important I need to tell him... Something you may not like, sweety," she informed me, her voice coming out, to anyone else, sympathetic towards me, but I knew better. I glared at her.
"Well, I'm his wife and he's not here, so you can tell me instead," I spoke with my chin raised confidently. She couldn't threaten me anymore. I was a grown ass woman, and this wasn't high school. I wasn't insecure about whether or not Pete cared for me like I cared for him. I knew he loved me. I mean, Jesus, he was my husband now. So, she couldn't scare me with her childish cheer leader games anymore.
Vicky studied me for a moment as if thinking about whether or not to tell me before shrugging her shoulders and taking in a deep breath in preparation to speak.
"Well, Ano, whi-" but just then Pete's car pulled up and she stopped talking to turn and look. When she turned back around to face me, her smirk had returned. "Well, it seems he's here."
"It seems so," I replied, staring at her with a stony expression. She simply continued to smirk back at me.
Pete walked around his car and up the walk way with a bottle of white wine in his hand. I glanced at him and he smiled.
"Hey, baby, who's this?" He asked. Vicky plastered on a smile and turned around to face him. As soon as Pete saw her face he stopped dead in his tracks, the bottle of wine slipping out of his hand and crashing onto the walk way just a few feet from us. Vicky giggled and held her arms out.
"Peter!" She chirped happily and ran towards him before throwing her arms around his neck in a hug. "I'm so happy to see you!"
Pete stayed frozen, unmoving, as she hugged him. The only movement was his eyes as he looked up at me. I glared towards them both, completely confused and completely angry.
Vicky pulled back from the hug but kept her hands on his shoulders. She cocked her head to one side.
"What's the matter, aren't you happy to see me this time?" She pouted. Pete seemed to finally get his bearings back then. He narrowed his eyes and moved them to her.
"You bitch..." He whispered fiercely as he brought his arms up and used them to push Vicky's hands off of her shoulders. Vicky gasped, finally wiping the smirk off of her face. My jaw dropped, feeling just as shocked as she was. I mean, fine, I was pissed that she was all over him just like in high school, and I did hope he would call her out on her facade, but that was just rude.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" He growled at her.
"Peter!" I gasped. He looked up at me and frowned before pushing Vicky aside to quickly walk towards me.
"Ano, listen," Pete pleaded as he started as he moved towards me, but Vicky pursued him. She was gritting her teeth and her fists were balled up at her sides.
"Don't you dare act like that!" She hollered at him, but Pete ignored her and continued towards me.
"Listen to me, Ano-"
"Peter Hernandez! Look at me!" She basically squealed. Pete turned on his heel.
"Shut up for one second. I am trying to talk to my wife!" He yelled. Her face basically turned red as Pete turned back around to face me. I looked back and forth at them in confusion and horror. What the hell was going on?
"Pete, what's going on?" I whispered. He opened his mouth to speak, but Vicky interrupted him again.
"You can't just fuck me and leave me, Peter!" She yelled. My mouth dropped back open and Pete froze. He cast his eyes down to the ground for a moment before returning them to me.
"Ano," he reached out to grab my hand but I snatched it away.
"Please tell me she's lying," I begged. He dropped his hand back to his side and after a moment, shook his head. I gasped and Pete returned his eyes to me. He went to say something, but once again Vicky interrupted.
"No, I'm not lying. I told you in high school I would have him, but you didn't believe me. And then you humiliated me, so, while he was in New York, where I live, to play his concert, I decided to take revenge. How does it feel, Ano?" She asked me. Half of me was enraged, and half of me was relieved. I knew that when Pete cheated on me it was while he was in New York, so I now knew that she was talking about the same incident. The other half of me was dying thinking of Vicky Livings did indeed get what she had always wanted, Pete in bed. No matter what though, the most important thing was that it was still only that one incident, so even though he kept the identity of the whore from me, the problem was still resolved. I had forgiven him for the incident, and I would continue to do so.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you it was her," Pete whispered. My face softened and I nodded my head.
"I understand, it doesn't matter who it was, but if I knew it was her from the start, I probably would have been even more irrational about it." I really did understand. I probably would have called off the wedding if I knew when I found out that it was her. So, I'm glad I didn't know then. It still hurt, but not as much as it would have.
Pete sighed a breath of relief and wrapped his arms around me.
"Thank you, Ano. You're amazing," he whispered. I shrugged my shoulders under his arms.
"I just love you is all," I replied. He pulled away from the hug and smiled.
"Oh, baby, I love you, too." He placed a kiss on my lips then turned around and put his arm protectively over my shoulder as he glared at Vicky.
"If you came to cause trouble you succeeded. Now leave," he demanded. Vicky crossed her arms over her chest and glared at me.
"I'm not finished," she whispered, keeping her eyes on me.
"Leave," Pete raised his voice. She dropped her arms to her sides and gave Pete puppy dog eyes.
"But, Peter-"
"Now!" Pete went to turn us to walk into the house, but Vicky shouted something that would shake my world and turn it upside down.
"I'm pregnant!" She yelled desperately. Pete and I both froze. Vicky took a few steps towards us, keeping her eyes on Pete. "And it's yours."
Pete made the most intimidating sound I have ever heard him made. It rumbled deep in his chest and up his throat. He began snorting like an angry bull before jerking his heads towards her.
"You fucking liar!" He basically screamed, making even me jump. Vicky flinched and her eyes widened for a moment before narrowing at him. She reached into her purse and pulled out a little piece of paper before walking towards him and flicking it at Pete's chest. Pete caught it and held it up to examine. There, in his hands, was an ultra-sound. Pete's jaw dropped and his knuckles turned white from gripping it too hard. A wave of anger crashed into my gut and began to slowly flood me until it was pouring out of my eyes in the form of frustrated tears. I turned my attention back to Vicky, and when I saw her smirking triumphantly at me, I snapped. I rushed towards her, barely escaping Pete's desperate attempt to stop me, and threw my fist at her. Her eyes widened in horror as I drew back and let my arm loose, my fist clenched at the end, into her face. I hit her square in the jaw and her head flew to the side before the rest of her body followed and she flew to the ground. She held her jaw and looked up at me with fear in her eyes as I stepped over her and looked down.
"Stay away from my husband, you slut!" I shouted at her as she cowered beneath me. When she didn't move, for she was afraid to do so, I bent down and glared. She looked up at me, her eyes wide with fear as she silently begged me not to hit her again.
"Now," I whispered. She quickly scrambled to her feet and ran off of the lawn, across the street and to her car before hopping in and speeding off. I watched her pull away, my breathing heavy and harsh, before turning around to come face to face with Pete. He had thrown the ultra sound to the ground to run after me to stop me from beating the shit out of her, but since I had only hit her once and didn't do it again, he simply stood behind me and watched in fear.
After taking a moment to calm down in front of a frozen Pete, I let out a slow breath and swallowed hard.
"I need a drink," I whispered hoarsely. Pete slowly nodded his head, his eyes still wide. I walked passed him and into the house as he finally snapped himself out of his trance and followed me.
"Ano, wait!" He hollered as he followed me into the house and through the living room as I made my way into the kitchen. "What are you thinking?"
His voice came out panicked as he came to stand next to me at the counter. I searched the cupboards for the strongest drink I could find before settling on tequila. That always got me shit faced real fast. I poured it into a glass and took a large swig, wincing as it burned down my throat.
"I'm thinking I need to get drunk," I whispered before placing the glass down to pour another shot then deciding it wasn't enough and just taking a swig out of the bottle.
"It's not mine, Ano, I used protection. I swear," Pete stated. I winced at the blunt mention of the incident and closed my eyes for a moment to fight off disturbing images before regaining my composure.
"I know," I whispered against the lip of the bottle before taking another swig. Pete was taken aback by my reply. He furrowed his eyebrows and strained his neck to get a better look at my expression.
"You do?" He asked. I nodded my head.
"I know you're not an idiot... Not a complete idiot, at least. And I know you wouldn't screw some whore without using protection." I shoved the bottle into his chest before sliding the shot glass across the counter and towards him before continuing. "And I'm not an idiot either. When she fell her shirt lifted, and she's at least four months pregnant. It can't be not your's," I informed him before turning and walking back into the kitchen. Pete followed me and, when I plopped down on the couch, he sat down next to me.
"That fucking bitch," he snarled. I nodded my head in agreement.
"But if you remember how she was in high school, you know she isn't going to give up without a fight. Be prepared for this to be on every gossip website out there tomorrow. She'll try to convince everyone it's yours."
Pete leaned back into the couch and sighed.
"This is completely fucked," he mumbled before taking a large gulp of tequila. I looked over to him and grabbed the bottle before taking a drink myself. Pete sat back up and looked at me, and out of the corner of my eye I could see him silently urging me to look back.
"I'm not mad at you, Bruno," I whispered before looking over at him. "I forgave you already, remember? It's her who should be worried." I gave him a small, reassuring smile. The corners of his lips lifted as well before he reached over and grabbed my hand. He lifted it to his lips and kissed it hard.
"You're incredible," he murmured against my lips. I shrugged my shoulders and repeated the same thing I had said outside.
"I just love you is all."