“I just have to take Beppe out for his walk.” I march over and scoop him off the bed.
“Do you want me to come with you?”
“It’s okay. I have Julian, and I won’t be long.”
“Alright. We’ll get the furniture moved around the way you wanted.”
I thank her and make a quick escape, hauling Beppe down the hall. Julian appears a moment later, like he knew I was coming. Sometimes I think the man has a sixth sense.
“Ready for his walk?” he asks.
I release a breath and nod.
“Let’s go.”
By the timeJulian and I return, Mariella, Valentina, and Chantel have arrived. They’re parked on the lounge next to Abella, the four of them chatting while the Vitale men congregate around the bar.
“Hey, Gabs.” Chantel pats the space beside her. “Come relax for a bit. We ordered pizza for dinner. It should be here soon.”
I nod at her, stealing a glance at the men as I walk across the room. Romeo tracks me with his gaze, his face unreadable as ever. I swear he lives to torment me, and on my worst days, I can’t even say that I blame him.
If it wasn’t for me, he never would have been struck by lightning.
Because of what happened that day, his life has been irrevocably altered. The damage he sustained and the subsequent cardiac arrest left him with lasting psychological, neurological, and physical changes.
Those first four years were so dark, he barely survived. His father shuffled him from one treatment facility to another, hoping for some kind of miracle, but there were none to be found. He’ll live with those personality changes, volatile moods, and chronic pain for the rest of his life.
Arguably, I deserve his wrath. But this battle between us has raged so brutally for so long, I don’t have it in me to fight him anymore.
Now, when I look at him, I just feel sad. I ache for everything he lost, and I wish more than anything he could forgive me, but I know he never will.
I’m bone-tired, and I decided long ago that I had to stop engaging in this war. Being near him, it’s easy to forget, particularly when he goes out of his way to taunt me. It’s almost like an addiction, because any reaction from him, good or bad, drags me back into his orbit. But it comes at a cost.Every barbed insult, every harsh look—they wear me down until there’s nothing left.
The fresh air and long walk cleared my head, leaving me with one inalterable truth. For my sanity, I have to move on from this. I have to stop getting sucked into this spiral and find a way to ignore him. So instead of reacting when he pats his pocket, subtly reminding me he stole my underwear, I settle onto the lounge, turn my back toward him, and focus on my friends.
“Come here, handsome boy!” Chantel calls out for Beppe after I unclip his harness.
He darts over to her, soaking up her attention as she lavishes him with love. After a million little kisses and some ear scratches, he curls up on her lap for a cuddle.
It’s hard to miss the fact that she’s ready for an evening out in a black dress and heels. Chantel could make a pair of sweatpants look hot, but when she dresses up, the male species doesn’t stand a chance. She’s the kind of drop-dead beautiful that leaves men slack-jawed as they pass her by.
“Aren’t you supposed to be at work tonight?” I ask her.
She bites her blood-red lip and shrugs. “I had a thing, but it didn’t pan out. So here I am, at your disposal for the evening.”
She’s trying to play it cool, but there’s a familiar note of disappointment in her voice, and a glance at Valentina confirms my suspicions.
“She had a date with Lord Dickhead tonight,” Val explains. “He canceled last minute.”
“Val,” Chantel whispers, stealing a glance across the room.
Cristian just so happens to be Lord Dickhead’s best friend, and when all our gazes swivel in his direction, he’s staring right at Chantel.
“Sorry, not sorry.” Val smiles sweetly in his direction. “Your friend is an idiot.”
Cristian’s jaw tightens, something unreadable flickering through his dark eyes before he turns away, severing the connection.
“Anyway—” Abella, sensing Chantel’s discomfort, changes the subject. “Lucia and Serafina wanted me to tell you they’re sorry they couldn’t be here. They had a charity gala tonight.”
