"About a half a year ago, I met Lovino through some friends and well.."
Antonio had a glimmer in his eyes as he held the Italian's delicate small hand in his palms while the half-naked Lovino sat down on the Spaniard's lap with a slight blush on his cheeks.
"We fell in love, unexpectedly and suddenly, and I knew that he was my forever love".
Yao remained silent as he watched the lived Dovey couple snuggle on the couch. He really didn't know what to think, when the Abelsson brothers told them about Antonio cheating, he was imagining a woman, not another man.
"Did Emma know about this?"
The Russian had to ask, this was like a real-life soap opera and he had never been on a case like this before. He was very interested in the storyline of the real-life telenovela of Antonio.
"She followed me to work one day and found out about it".
The husband replied quietly as a saddened expression appeared on Lovino's face who avoided eye contact with the detectives and squeezed the Spaniard's hand.
"Emma asked you for a divorce, but you rejected it and got upset, why?"
The Chinese man needed the answer because it was getting too confusing for him. He didn't like cheaters, at all. Didn't matter if they were cheating with a man or a woman, they were the worst.
"She confronted me first and then asked for the divorce but I didn't accept it because I thought that I could fix things with her. I thought that I wasn't really gay and that it was just a monetary feeling that would surely go away, but it wasn't and it didn't".
The Italian rested his hand on his lover's shoulder, remembering when Antonio tried to avoid him after that discussion he had with his wife. He was so afraid that he would lose the Spanish man forever, but thankfully he changed his mind.
"Okay, I believe you, but why did you lie to us about making the call at 8 when it was at 11? And weren't you going to pick her up?"
The Asian began bombing the suspect with questions, he wasn't as interested as Ivan in the love triangle that was going on, he was here to solve a homicide and he would, by the end of the week he would have some guy locked up in jail for it, he was sure about it.
"I didn't want people to know about me and Lovi yet, that's why I lied. Not because I am ashamed but the news would be too sudden, I can't go around announcing my new lover right after my wife died".
Ivan exchanged looks with detective Wang before the Chinese man spoke again.
"That doesn't make sense, your testimony would have been safe with us from the start!"
There was something about Antonio that Yao disliked, he didn't care if he was gay or whatever but the fact that he was a cheater. It just triggered him, bringing back some unhappy memories from his youth where he experienced that pain of being lied to, cheated on, and embarrassed by everyone. He tried to remain calm, inhaling sharply and shake off those ideas from his head. It was from a long time ago and it didn't matter anymore. The Chinese man enrolled in the police academy right after that bitter event in his life, trying to use force to cope with his broken heart. It clearly didn't work out for him, becoming a resented man with humanity that tried to protect his feelings at all cost, a lone wolf.
"It's because the Abelsson's would have learned about it then go and tell the Zwingli's and so on".
The Chinese man wanted to get over with the discussion already. He didn't want to be in that apartment any longer. The pressure was getting to him, remembering very vividly those painful experiences. It was like a movie playing right in front of him but he couldn't look away.
"Then tell us what you were doing in the time frame Emma was murdered?"
Ivan asked, taking over since he noticed how uncomfortable his partner was getting. Although they had only been working for a day, he could tell that Yao wasn't the kind that got anxious or nervous but he could just see the fear in the Chinese man's eyes. He didn't know why but, he understood that feeling and he was going to try and help his fellow detective.
"As I said, Lily came to pick her up at 4 but I was at work during that time. I never told her I was going to pick her up. I did offer her but she said no and I didn't insist. Then I got out of work at 7 and I spent the night with Lovi until around 11 that I came back to the apartment but she wasn't here. I called her phone but there were no answers so I called Lily and she didn't answer either".
The Spaniard explained while Yao was still taking deep breaths trying to calm himself down and forget those haunting memories. Antonio wasn't him, he shouldn't be taking his anger out on Antonio. It was a long time ago, and it shouldn't matter anymore, at least that was what the Asian tried to convince himself.
"Why weren't you worried about your wife huh? Not coming back after 11 and you didn't even call her brothers. Care to explain that? And also that she asked you for the divorce again?"
The Russian raised his voice a bit, trying to pressure Antonio and find out for once and for all if he was guilty.
"Did you kill your wife, Antonio?"
The Spaniard's eyes were becoming teary and Lovino noticed it immediately, placing an arm around the weeping husband.
"Y-you bastard! How dare you accuse Tonio of such thing!"
The small Italian hissed at detective Braginski who still wasn't finished. He could be mean when necessary, and right now he had to do it to see Antonio's reaction to the accusation.
"I did not! I loved Emma! I really did, but not in the same way she loved me".
The husband had tears streaming down his face once more as his lover tried to console him, cupping the Spaniard's face in his hands gently.
"Did you? Or did you see the chance in getting all her wealth by killing her instead of divorcing her?
The Russian stood up, slamming the coffee table in front of them with both hands to frighten the couple.
"No, no! I'll never forgive myself for making her unhappy so long, I wish I had accepted the divorce earlier because Emma deserved much better".
Detective Wang was distracted from his puzzling thoughts, raising an eyebrow at the statement, did Antonio accept the divorce after all?
Then the Spanish man wiped his tears away on his sleeve as he stood up and opened a drawer to pull out a signed petition for divorce with his and Emma's signature and threw it to Ivan.
"Did you, did you divorce her yesterday?"
The Chinese man jumped out of his chair, taking the paper from Ivan to read it.
"It's just a petition, we still had some papers to do but yes, I accepted, and I was not keeping any of her money, 50% of the company was going to her since she invested in it when we got married".
The detectives read the paper, it was all detailed in there, Antonio wasn't lying, he didn't kill Emma. He had just fallen in love with Lovino and initially rejected those feelings because of fear but he accepted the divorce afterward.
"Why didn't you worry when she wasn't home by 11?"
Ivan was still a bit suspicious, the papers could have been forged and maybe Lovino had participated in the murder. Although when he pointed the Italian with the gun, the poor guy almost pissed himself.
"Since the moment Emma found out I was cheating on her, she changed. I understood that she was angry because I lied and even angrier because I didn't want to sign the divorce at first. She started going out a lot more without telling me first and returning late at night and wouldn't pick up the calls, often returning drunk".
Antonio paused for a moment, remembering the events that happened just about a month ago when his wife was still living and breathing.
"Emma? Emma, is it you?"
The Spaniard saw the light coming in the bedroom as his wife walked in, trembling and almost falling on the ground.
"Hola, Tonio!"
She greeted with a chuckle as she pronounced it in a funny accent, closing the door of the room and turning all the lights, dropping her purse on the ground before taking her heels off.
"Emma, where were you? I was very worried".
He sat up on the bed, rubbing his eyes, what time was it even? It definitely was past midnight and his wife was just arriving.
"I was out with some girlfriends, having fun!"
The Belgian then slowly made her way to the bathroom, holding onto the furniture so she would not fall on her face.
"I understand you're angry because everything that has happened but it was just a phase, I'm completely fine now! But you can't just go party every weekend without even telling me when you're coming home".
Emma stares at her reflection in the vanity mirror of the bathroom, her eyeliner and mascara were smudged, her lipstick wasn't even applied well. She looked terrible like she had been in a catfight. The Belgian pulled out a baby wipe to begin removing the makeup from her face.
"Oh Tonio, we both know the truth that it's not a phase, it's who you are, and I can't even be mad at you for that, because it's not your fault".
The Spanish man frowned, he did not like what she was implying. It was hard for him to accept the fact that he might be gay. He was married for fuck's sake! But he had been intimate with Emma not more than 10 times in their 5 years of marriage. Then Lovino, that boy had his head over heels. But was he ready to throw his whole life away based on a feeling? Was he ready to be made fun of the entire elite of the city? He didn't even want to imagine how the other ladies of the high society would talk about the Belgian.
"I'm still your husband, Emma. I can't have you keep coming home drunk and late, hanging up the phone on me. It's dangerous out there and I worry about you".
She shook her head, beginning to slip down her heavy white fur coat, revealing her figure in a tight-fitting black dress. The Belgian then pulled it down, turning to Antonio, who immediately looked away.
"See? You don't have the slightest desire for me, and you're not my husband anymore, you're the Italian's husband".
Emma said bitterly before putting in a silky red kimono and taking off her silver headband, as well as her pearl earrings and her ring.
"Stop it, stop saying that!"
Antonio got up from his bed and rushed to his wife's side, taking her by the waist, pulling her closer to his body to kiss her, but he paused. Their lips were centimeters away yet he couldn't bring himself to close the distance between them and Emma turned her face to the side, getting away from the embrace.
"You can't even kiss me, just admit that you're gay, there's nothing bad about it. Sure, I've wasted some years of my life but you can make it up by signing the divorce".
The Belgian wasn't being the sweet and cunning lady she normally was, influenced by alcohol, she had bo filters. She was also tired of playing this game with Antonio. Emma really wasn't angry about it, she couldn't be, she loved Tonio but she understood that they could never be. She picked her hair up in a bun and that's when she heard a gasp coming from her husband.
"Emma, what are those on the back of your neck?"
He demanded an answer, lowering his voice as he stared at the reddish and purple marks on her skin.
"None of your business".