A/N: Princess Tricia, I honestly don't know how many chapters are left in this story. I mean, I have an idea of how many are left and I will say between five to ten more but I'm not so sure. Once I know for sure how many are remaining I will definitely let you all know via author's note. I'm glad that you're still enjoying the story. Didn't think it would be this long. lol. I appreciate all the reviews and comments, personal messages. They've all be helpful. Here's chapter 53!
Queen of Maldonia II
A Spouse Divided Part Four
Tiana was so angered over finding out that Naveen had detectives spying on her that she went to the baby's nursery to calm her down. In the room, she noticed that there were no sign of any nannies watching over the babies, making her even more angry. "Helina? Rashina?"
Helina walked out of the bathroom, "Here I am, Tiana." She saw the young queen's face and knew she was upset about something.
Tiana picked up Nicholas and began rubbing his back.
"Is there anything wrong?" The nanny asked.
"I will be watching over the babies for the rest of the day." Tiana told the woman, refusing to answer the question.
The nanny curtsied before leaving the room, where she accidentally bumped into Naveen.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, your highness."
"It's alright, Helina." He said, walking in the room. "Is Tiana in the room?"
The nanny nodded her head before leaving.
Naveen walked in and found his wife holding his youngest son as she looked out of the window. He knew he let his jealousy get the best of him this time, but his trust issues have been a problem from him for some time.
"Tiana-
"I don't want to talk to you right now." She said, facing away from him.
"I know I am at fault for all of this. But I-
"Not now!" She said.
Naveen leaned against the dresser watching his wife holding their son. He couldn't stand to be in a room with her and not speak with her. "Tiana, speak to me."
Tiana turned to look at him. "In our vows did we not promise to always trust each other?"
"Yes." He said, feeling even more guilty when he saw his wife's wet cheeks. "But you know how many of my friends and family have tried to go against me since I was crowned king-
"And I am not those people!" Tears ran down her face. "You let your insecurities take over your life, Naveen."
"I know." He admitted.
"If anyone should be insecure it's me! You are a king, a very good looking, powerful and respectable one at that. You have beautiful young women throwing themselves at you all the time!" She looked down at her sleeping son. "I don't want us fighting around the babies." She put the baby back in his crib before going over to the intercom.
"I don't want to fight either-
"Have Helina return to the nursery." Tiana ordered before leaving the nursery.
Naveen quietly followed her, trying to not attract attention to the help on the way to their suite, a room where they shared plenty of memories of fights and compromising. Once he closed the doors, he watched his wife taking a seat on the bed bench, hugging herself. Throughout their entire relationship he knew that she only did that out of comfort. Something he was suppose to do for her. "Tiana, I wasn't trying to hurt you..." He sat beside her. "...my trust issues are a problem..."
Tiana stood up and turned away from him.
He then got up, trying to take her hand, but she pulled it away. "Tiana I know that my jealousy and insecurity got the best of me. I know what I did was wrong and I will apologize for the rest of my life just for you to not be angry with me." He then ran his fingers through his hair. "It's not that I don't trust you around Eduardo. I feel this way when you're around other men. You're beautiful, witty, intelligent..." He sighed out of frustration when she remained silent. "I will break any man's neck if he even tries to touch you." He frowned, but remembered the main purpose of his wife's disappointment of him. "I know what I did was wrong If only you could find it in your heart to forgive m of my childish actions."
Tiana closed her eyes and sighed herself. Her love for Naveen was still there, it was her heart that felt broken with him not trusting her no matter how many times he say he's in the wrong. After being married for eight years she thought that she would never have to worry about him having to look over his shoulder with her, but she was proven wrong by those photos. She then turned to look at her husband and wanted to slap him across the face for his stupidity. But she knew that it wouldn't help her with her feelings. "I never had any romantic feelings for Eduardo. I care for him as a friend, but that's all that there is between us. Friendship." She explained. "For you to think otherwise is truly hurtful for me and our marriage."
"I realize that now." Naveen said. "But there were times when I felt his eyes on you. I'm a man myself so I know that I could have not been over exaggerating." He stepped up closer to her. "I'm sorry for my distrust in you and insulting our marriage because of that. But I will not lie and say that I am not fond of you and Eduardo's friendship-
"You had me until the end." Tiana cut him off. "So you apologize for not trusting me and turn right around to tell me who I should and shouldn't be friends with?"
"It's not that, Tiana-
"Then what is it then Naveen?" Tiana asked. "Because all you're doing is going around in circles."
"It's just that I have a hard time trusting people who are too close to what's mine." Naveen said. "I trust you, but when you're around other people such as Eduardo and even male help I can't get past at how friendly you are to them. I know you don't mean to flirt, but it comes naturally for you and you may not notice." He tried taking her hand but she pulled it away again.
"And you do understand that if there's no trust between us, then there's no marriage." Tiana said, her hands on her hips.
Naveen was surprised at what his wife just said. "What are you trying to say?"
"You don't trust me around other men because of me being a natural flirt? What kind of talk is that?" She asked, feeling offended. "Who do you think I am? One of your old flames? The women you always belittle just because they voluntarily open their legs for you. You claim that you're nothing like your father but more and more I see him in you. And what Nagna told me you are actually thinking and speaking a lot like him."
"I am not my father but I will not lie and say that his words have a lot to do with how I think for the past several years." Naveen admitted. "He always told me to never trust women while praising how wonderful they could benefit in a man's life." He sighed again. "His words have been somewhat outdated and there were some that actually made sense. I use to think that his nonsense on how to never trust a virgin bride, as they will hurt you more than an experienced one was ridiculous until Baron Amaya came to Maldonia."
Tiana shook her head while not giving Naveen eye contact. "Have you always felt this way about me?"
"What? I've never thought of you as any of the women of my past-
"I mean have you always felt that with me being a virgin when we married that you can't ever trust me around men?" She looked over at him with watery eyes full of anger. "We've been married for eight years and not once have I even thought of sleeping with any other man. Or flirting."
Naveen groaned at his own stupidity. "I was wrong to think that way. I don't feel that way anymore and I know that it was just my ignorance thinking for me."
"I'm not going to apologize for having good manners. If you have a problem with how I treat people then you're obviously not the Naveen I fell inlove with. Your heart just as big as mine since I've known you. Ever since you've been crowned king you've changed dramatically. I don't know if it's the title or the fact that you've been living a lie for eight years."
Naveen was about to say something when Tiana cut him off again.
"Please don't make all of what we fought for a waste..." Tears developed in her eyes. Her angry now replaced with sadness. "I don't want to end up in a marriage similar to your mother and father. I won't live that life."
Naveen saw how hurt his wife looked it too hurt him. The last thing he wanted was to have their marriage compared to his parents. "We are nothing like my parents. My father's actions were what caused their marriage to not be a happy one."
"And what about your actions with the spying and going behind my back?" She asked.
"I was an idiot, okay. All of this was idiotic thinking and you now I always admit my wrongdoings." He picked up his phone and began dialing out a number.
Tiana watched as her husband spoke with the detective.
"Abort code 435...all of it." He then hang up the phone and looked back at her. "See? It's all over now."
Tiana shook her head. "Do you honestly think that a phone call is going to immediately bring things back to normal?"
Naveen frowned. "What?"
"I can trust you around women while you're out of the country for weeks and months at a time and you have the nerve to hire spies on me?" She frowned.
"Tiana it's all over now. The secret photos, the spying, going behind your back...all of it is over." He took her hand, looking at her with pleading eyes. "Please, let's start over."
Tiana tried holding back her tears, but they easily slipped from her eyes as she saw the desperation in her husband's own eyes. The apology in his orbs were more powerful than his own words from his mouth.
Naveen noticed the delay. "Tiana?"
She closed her eyes, now in a crossroads with how should she feel. One minute she's furious with him the next she's upset and another is forgiveness. She didn't know how should she feel. "I don't know if I want to do this. Not right now."
His heart dropped when he heard her what she said. "What are you trying to say?"
"You're going to have to prove a lot to me before I can accept any apology from you." She said.
Naveen then wiped the tears from Tiana's face. "I will do everything in my power for you to forgive me. You are worth fighting for." He said, caressing her face.
She felt her husband's lips on forehead, making her open her eyes.
"I love you." He said.
Tiana looked up at Naveen, feeling his heart beating on her. "I love you too, Naveen." She then wrapped her arms around him, hugging him.
He wrapped his arms around her, very pleased to hear her respond to loving him.
Tiana then looked back up at her husband and pressed her lips onto his.
Naveen was surprised by her move, but returned it, making it become even more passionate. He scooped her in his arms, walking them over to their bed...
()()()()
Later that day, Tiana woke up in her husband's arms really kicking herself for giving up herself so easily to him after learning that he doesn't trust her alone with men. Guess she was still weak to his charming nature.
Naveen was on cloud nine to have his wife in his arms in their bed. Feeling her soft body pressed up against his masculine and tone physic made him feel made him thankful to have her. He was surprised at how quick they ended up this way after she learned of him going behind her back with the spying.
"Tiana, are you awake?" He asked, rubbing her arm.
She remained quiet for a few more seconds before responding. "Yea, I'm awake."
"What would you like to do for the rest of our weekend together? I was thinking that perhaps-
"I think we should postpone the rest of this...romantic weekend." Tiana said, getting up, picking up her dress.
Naveen frowned, sitting up. "But we planned-
"I'm not in the mood for anything romantic right now." She wrapped the dress around her.
"But what we did was just romantic." He said, watching his wife getting off the bed. "Where are you going?"
"I'm going to take a shower and see how my mother is doing." Tiana answered, walking to the bathroom. "She is leaving tomorrow and I would rather spend the rest of the day with her."
Naveen sighed in disappointment. He knew he was at fault for what he did, but for how long was she going to treat him like dirt?
()()()()
Eudora's room...
"Oh Eli you know that I won't be too busy once I'm back in town. You can come by the house at anytime." Eudora said while on the telephone with Big Daddy LaBouff.
"I look forward to seeing my sugaplum much sooner. I'll have my boy pick you up-
"Nah-uh. We made a deal. No special treatments." She said. "Plus I've got my own car."
A knock was heard at the door.
"Excuse me, Eli. Come in!"
Tiana walked in the room and Eudora knew right away by her daughter's face that something was wrong. "I will call you later, bye-bye." She hang up the phone just as Tiana sat on the bed. "What is it, babycakes?"
"I just found out that Naveen hired secret detectives to spy my every move for the past several months." Tiana said.
Eudora widen her eyes. "Are you serious?"
She nodded her head. "He has trouble trusting me around Eduardo...or any man at that."
"Well can't you blame him?" Said the middle age woman.
Tiana raised an eyebrow. "Say what?"
"Naveen is a powerful king, honey. Please tell me that you forgave him after you quickly got over your anger."
Tiana was surprised at her mother's attitude about this. "Mama, I can't believe you aren't mad about this as I am."
"Well that's because it isn't worth being upset about. The man clearly love and trust you. He's only marking his territory. Go find him and make up. And within a couple of months you come call me telling me that you are having more of his beautiful babies."
Tiana rolled her eyes before getting up. "I am not giving him a slap on the wrist."
Eudora looked at her daughter's red mark on her neck and shook her head. "Mm-hm you ain't foolin' me chile. I know you gave him a lot more than a slap on the wrist already."
Tiana crossed her arms, facing away her mother.
"Tell me that I'm wrong." Eudora smiled.
When her daughter didn't respond Eudora laughed.
"I knew it!" She teased.
"Mama, he's hired people to follow me." She reminded her.
"Serves you right. That baron wants you and I knew that Naveen wasn't dumb enough to not notice." Eudora said with a smirk.
"If he had an issue then why didn't he talk to me about it?" Tiana asked her mother.
"Because he's a man!" Eudora said. "Now stop talking to me and go make up with him."
Tiana sighed. "I feel betrayed, mama."
"Oh, get that stick out of your behind! Life is too short to be angry over something as silly as what he did. He apologized for his stupidity and owned up to it, right?"
Tiana hated having to nod her head, but she couldn't lie. "Yes, he did."
"Okay then go make love, then take a break, make more love, and while you're on that break ake more beautiful babies-
Tiana rolled her eyes. "Mama..."
"I'm not through yet. You continue to make more love and wake up with a bittersweet heart knowing that you have to bid me my farewell once again in the morning. It's as easy as that."
Tiana sighed, sitting back on the bed, now resting her head on her mother's shoulder. What her mother said made sense as silly as she sounded and it actually helped her feel better about the situation. Which she was stubbornly trying to avoid. "Why did I even bother coming in here to you?"
"Because you know that ya mama knows best." She kissed her daughter on the head. "Now go get ya man."
Tiana rolled her eyes and couldn't help but to smile. "Yes, ma'am."
()()()()
Naveen sat in the gazebo smoking a Maldonian cigar, trying his best to not go to the bottle to drown away his sorrows. Since learning that his mother suffered from alcoholism he's done a thorough research on his family's history and learned that many more of his relatives from his mother's side suffered the same problem, but brushed it under the rug to secrecy. The last thing he needed was to disappoint Tiana and their children.
While exhaling out the smoke, he felt arms around his waist which startled him a little.
"It's me." Tiana said.
"Oh!" He responded and quickly put out his cigar in the golden ashtray. He turned to look down at his wife who was partially smiling at him. He didn't know where to start.
She only shook her head at his habit. "Still smoking to relieve stress?"
"I...uh..." Naveen scratched the back of his head. "You know that I smoke every blue moon."
Tiana rolled her eyes. "Why do I have a feeling that I don't believe a single word you're saying?"
Naveen laughed a little. "Perhaps I can be a little distrusting on every blue moon?"
She playfully slapped him on the arm. "You can't ever be distrusting..." And brought her hand to his. "...but I can always be forgiving."
Naveen's eyes widen as he saw the genuine smile on his wife's lips. Nothing else was said as he wrapped her his arms. Knowing that his wife forgave him made him thankful and re-think his relationship with her. Through all the years they've been married not once has she ever doubted his love and trust while he did just that with her. And the more he thought about his actions, the more he realized how much he was like his father. He knew that had to change before it got worse.
Naveen then pulled from the hug and got down on one knee.
Tiana raised an eyebrow out of confusion. "What are you doing?"
He took her hand to his. "I promise to never doubt anything else of you. Our marriage will be nothing like my parents. I will love and honor you for the rest of my life."
Tiana shook her head. "Get up..."
Naveen did just that as he felt Tiana's hand on his cheek.
He smiled at her gentleness.
"And don't think that you're the only imperfect person in this marriage." Tiana said. "I sometimes feel a little insecure when I see how friendly you can be with your fans and supporters, but then realize that they are just that, fans and supporters."
Naveen's smile was then replaced with a more serious expression. "Yes, they are my fans ad supporters, but my heart will always belong to only you."
"Just as mine belongs to you." She finished for him.
Naveen was once again on cloud nine now that his wife has truly forgiven him. "It took my insecure heart and getting busted to realize that again, my father was wrong and so was I." He said, taking her hand from his face. "Thank you for putting sense back onto my head."
"Good because if you try to pull what you did again then I'm going to have to knock some sense in you using one of my fryer pans." Tiana said, giving her husband a neutral look.
Naveen laughed. "A fryer pan...you are a very funny woman." He looked over at his wife and didn see her smile not once. "You were joking, right?"
"Mm." She looked him up and down before leaving the gazebo.
He raised his eyebrows and followed her out. "You were joking? Tiana?"
()()()()
