We smile weakly at each other and I can’t help but wonder if our friendship will ever be the same again.
Then Anna, dressed in her gorgeous gold strapless gown, interrupts our conversation.
“G, a moment?”
She yanks on my hand and drags me a few metres away from Brett before she spins and says, “You look gorgeous. This event is amazing. Your mum is on the war path.”
“What?”
“Your mum. She’s on her way over here and oh my g- ”
“Gianna Morello!” Mum shrieks when she approaches from behind Anna. She looks perfectly put together in a red cap-sleeved gown and her black hair swept back in her usual chignon, but the look on her face is enough to make me wither like a sultana, along with the use of my full name that she still uses when I’m in trouble.
I shrink down between my shoulders, but it’s not nearly enough to shield me from what’s about to come.
“Where onEarthhave you been? You’ve barely been answering my calls. Your text messages are vague. You haven’t been at yourapartment!” She takes a deep breath, as if suddenly remembering that she’s standing in the entrance of a ballroom in front of over one hundred people. Shesmooths a hand over her hair and hisses, “You have a lot to answer for, young lady!”
I stare at my mum with my mouth hanging open. Is she seriously doing this now? On my big night? Can I not haveone single moment of peace?
“You realise I’m a grown woman that doesn’t, in fact, have to tell her mother about every single thing she does, right?” I say between clenched teeth. Fury simmers dangerously beneath my skin like an active volcano that’s been teetering on the edge of erupting. My whole life I’ve been told what to do and how to live my life. I can’t escape it. But I know I’ve had enough of it. “We’ll speak about this later.” I go to walk off before I say something I’ll regret, but Mum stops me.
“We’ll speak about it now! You’ve been acting so strange lately. Even Daniel doesn’t know what’s gotten into you-”
“Daniel? What does he have to do with this?”
Mum glides her hands down the front of her dress. “I spoke to him to find out if you were staying with him this week.”
“You calledDaniellooking for me? Why would I be staying with him?” I say, my fists clenching at my sides. “You know we’re separated, right?”
“Yes, but I had hoped-”
“Hoped what?” I grit out, no longer wholly in control of what comes flying from my mouth. “That I would get back together with thatfucking psychopath?It’s his fault I’m such a fucking mess in the first place!”
My chest heaves as I walk away from my mother, who looks like she’s just been slapped across the face. I can’t believe I just swore at her. Circling widely around the rest of my family, I stop in front of an abstract painting, pretending to admire the dark, swirling pattern while I shake off myresidual anger. After a few moments a woman sporting a slicked back bun and a no-nonsense A-line dress approaches me. She’s a reporter from the local newspaper I invited for extra publicity. But as I chat idly to her, my back to my family, I can’t stop my mind from racing. I’ll have to explain to my mother later what I meant when I called Daniel a psychopath. It’s about time I let my family in on the truth, anyway. If I had been more honest about what was going on in my marriage, I wouldn’t be in this situation now. But as much as I say Daniel and I hid the ugliness well, there’s still a niggling part of me that thinkshow could they not know? My own mother. How did she not see what was happening? How did she not see the misery behind my eyes?
“I’ll be writing up a little piece about tonight for Monday’s news. Such a worthy cause that I think our readers will really get behind,” the woman says to me as she pushes her gold-rimmed glasses up her nose.
“Thank you so much, all of us at Hope House are so appreciative.”
I smile warmly, shake her hand, then wander to the next guests, slowly making my way around the room. Sam often joins me in thanking people for their contribution to the evening, whether it’s via donation, bids on the auction or their presence alone, and before long we’re being called to order for the main auction to begin.
Only two items are being auctioned off the old-fashioned way, and they’re both unique paintings by a well-known local artist. When the auctioneer begins and hands start flying into the air, I feel a tug on my arm.
“Gia, you have a minute?”
I glance over my shoulder, then turn back to the stage. “Not now, Tony.”
“Please. I’ll be quick.”
A sigh escapes my lips, but I relent and follow Tony through the crowd to a small alcove off to the side. I smile at Lenny as we pass and he gives me a thumbs up, holding his headphones between his ear and shoulder.
“Gia, what’s going on with you? Mum’s been worried sick,” Tony starts the second we’re out of ear-shot. He looks handsome if not out of character in a smart, black suit, but the perpetual frown between his thick brows isn’t new.
I fold my arms across my chest, more than ready to butt heads with my big brother.
“I don’t care how worried Mum is. It’s not like I’ve disappeared off the face of the Earth! She had no right to contact Daniel to try and get information on me, Tony! I’m twenty-eight years old, I’m allowed to have a bit of privacy without the world crashing down around me!”
“Wow.” He holds his hands up in defence. “Calm down, sis. You’re acting like Daniel is the devil incarnate.”
