I almost smiled. Almost. “You never wear Louboutins.”
Her eyes danced with amusement. “You pay attention to what I wear?”
What was I supposed to say?Yes, Valentina, I notice your shoes, your dresses, and the way you wear your hair. I notice everything, even though I’m not supposed to.
“You wear Manolos.”
“And here I thought you only cared about contracts and billable hours.”
I shrugged. “Consider it market research.”
She laughed softly. It was quiet, almost surprised. “Is that your way of calling me high-maintenance?”
“Are you denying it?”
She paused, clearly deciding how honest she wanted to be. Then she tilted her head, smiling slowly. “No.”
Of course she wasn’t. Valentina didn’t deny things—she embraced them. It was part of her charm. And the reason she was so damn exhausting.
I reached into my pocket and pulled out a second thing—a key card. “It’s for the apartment. In case you forget what door you belong to.”
“Sweet of you to take care of me like this.”
I ignored her and held out my hand.
She blinked. “What?”
“Your phone.”
She hesitated for a second, probably deciding whether I was worth trusting with it or not, before finally handing it over. I took it, swiped to the call screen, and dialed my own number.
My phone buzzed in my pocket. I handed hers back.
“Now I have your number.”
Valentina smirked, tilting her head slightly. “So youdowant to talk to me.”
I met her gaze. “No. I just need to know where you are when you inevitably make my life harder.”
She grinned. “I love how you pretend you won’t answer when I call.”
I ignored her. “We’ll talk more about this arrangement tonight.” I turned toward the door. “Don’t do anything stupid today.”
She hummed. “Define stupid.”
I didn’t look back as I shut the door behind me.
Define stupid, she’d said.
Impossible fucking woman.
As if she needed me to explain what stupid was. Her entire existence was a case study in bad decisions. And apparently, so was mine, because I’d married her.
CHAPTER 28
VALENTINA
Marco lasted exactly one week before he packed a bag and left.
