My sister walks around the edge of the bed muttering under her breath and when she’s next to my side she grabs me for a hug. “I’m sorry about all that,” she whispers in my ear. Meanwhile, I watch Rafael over her shoulder as he makes a lewd gesture meant for Carina.
I burst out laughing. Both of their gazes land on me, surprise clear on their faces, and I smile.
“It’s fine,” I say, still giggling. “I’m just enjoying how you two are with each other.” I wave my free hand while using the other to clutch my stomach, which is still sore from all the laughter earlier. “You make a great couple.”
Carina gives me a quick peck on my cheek and stares down at me with so much emotion in her eyes my heart nearly bursts. I hadn’t realized until now that I was scared the two years spent apart would ruin our relationship. But I think it only became stronger in the time we were separated.
“I’m a fucking delight,” Rafael says. He gestures to Carina with a pointed finger and shrugs. “Seriously, I don’t know what her problem is.”
My sister grins and walks over to him. She opens her mouth to say something, probably a smart remark, but he interrupts her with a kiss. Well, a lot of them, actually. The energy from him to her is so possessive and passionate, I almost have to close my eyes.
When Rafael finally pulls away she stares up at him in a daze. He takes her hand in a secure grip and then gives me a curt nod. “Glad you’re here and in one piece, Violetta. Welcome to the family.”
“Yes, welcome to this crazy family,” Carina says. “I can’t wait for you to finally meet Emilia.”
“Your friend from the gala?”
“The one and only. She married Rafael’s brother, Maximus.” At my raised brows Carina nods. “Yup. It’s a small world. Goodnight, Violetta. I’m so happy you’re here with me now.”
“Me too.” I give both of them a little wave. “Goodnight.”
As soon as they leave, a silence descends on the room and it’s oppressive. Ironically, a month ago I would’ve loved the quiet and the solitude, but after being around people I care for, it’s hard to be alone. Maybe I didn’t really like it to begin with but did it anyway to stay sane in my father’s house.
Restlessness creeps along my skin and digs into my extremities, all but forcing me to my feet. I pace for a while and when that doesn’t wear me out I walk over to the window and stare at the stretch of lawn two stories down. It’s nothing extraordinary, but I gaze at it for a long time as my mind churns with thoughts I’d rather ignore.
They’re all derived from Tristano.
This house,hishouse, is enormous which means avoiding him shouldn’t be an issue. But knowing I’m under the same roof as he is, and that he’s somewhere nearby sleeping or working, unsettles me. If it wasn’t for my sister, I’d be far from this place, far from the source of my broken heart.
I blame myself for being dumb enough to think Tristano would actually care for me as a person, beyond just fucking me. My age really shows in my decisions lately, which he was quick to point out. What frustrates me more than anything was how he dismissed my feelings and opinions without discussing anything with me prior. He may think he knows best, and maybe he does, but what I have to say still matters.
A rap on my door steals the breath from my lungs for a moment. I inhale deeply as I sprint across the room, trying to stop my heart from rising with hope. I may be angry at Tristano, but I can’t stop loving him overnight, despite him hurting me. However, it’s not safe to trust him either.
I open the door and find Beni on the other side. My heart shrivels in my chest while I force a smile for him. He’s been nothing but kind to me and doesn’t deserve my sullen attitude.
Beni peers beyond me, checking to see if I’m alone, and then leans against the doorframe. “Hey, Violet.”
“Is everything alright?”
“It depends. Are you okay?”
I tilt my head. “What do you mean?”
“Man this is hard,” he says, running his fingers through his hair, causing the strands to stand up in places. “You’d think I was giving you the ‘birds and the bees’ lecture or something.” He clears his throat and then shoves his hands in his pockets. “My loyalty is to my boss, but that doesn’t mean I agree with him on everything. How he’s been treating you is not something I’ll ever condone. It’s fucking bullshit and we both know it.”
Having this conversation with Beni is not ideal or comfortable, but he’s coming from a good place and he knows Tristano better than I do. Perhaps he can help me understand where everything went wrong or where to go from here.
Because I never want to feel this way again.
“I can’t say I don’t agree, but Tristano must’ve been upset about his mother and I can’t blame him for that.” I sigh and stare off into the distance. “If that wasn’t it… I don’t know what else to say.”
Beni whistles. “That was a fuckton more words than I thought I’d get from you. Wow.”
“I’m done being silent.”
“Good,” he says with a nod. “Then you can go tell Tristano to go fuck himself because that’s what he deserves.”
I press my lips together to keep from laughing, especially since Beni is dead serious. “Look, what happened is in the past. Maybe it’s my fault for thinking it was more than something casual or that it would last longer than a single night. I took a risk and…” I shrug.
