“Puh-lease,” Frankie scoffs. “You know Fiero as well as I do, Cat, and you know damn well there’s no way he’d ever be able to resist her.” Her warm smile is reassuring, but it does nothing to settle my frayed nerves. “You’re stunning, Valentina. I bet Fiero is walking around with a constant hard-on having you living in his house.”
“Want to take a walk with me?” Serena asks as I gulp down the remains of my second glass of champagne. I really should eat something.
“I’d love that.” I grasp the lifeline she’s extending.
“I’ll take you on a tour of Elisa and Caleb’s new house. They won’t mind.”
I half expect Cat to come with us, but she just subtly nods as I leave the table with Serena Salerno.
We duck around the cloth-covered steel fencing hiding both houses from the area where the party is taking place. “They sealed this off as construction is still ongoing in the gardens and on parts of both houses,” Serena explains as we enter the rear of Caleb and Elisa’s magnificent bungalow. The pool has been built, but only half the walls have been tiled, and the area around it is muddy and undeveloped.
We chat casually as Serena shows me around the house, and she has a way of really making people feel at ease. Maybe it’s her soft, soothing voice or her calm, unruffled manner, but she’s very easy to talk to.
After we’ve inspected every furnished room, she leads me back to the large, homey kitchen, grabbing a bottle of wine and two glasses before we move out to the only paved area of the garden and sit on a bench. I hold out the glasses while she pours before setting the wine bottle down on the floor.
“I wanted to talk to you privately, but this isn’t an ambush, I swear,” she adds, seeing the instant wariness on my face. “My first husband was an abusive monster who mistreated me for years. He died a violent death, like your husband, and I’ll never forget the relief I felt knowing he was gone and couldn’t hurt me or my kids anymore.”
“He hurt your children?” Horror instantly washes over my face.
“He was never physically abusive with Elisa or Romeo. The damage was more psychological. Romeo was young enough not to remember most of it, but Elisa remembers. She saw more than any young girl should.” She stares off into space. “Thankfully, she’s strong, like you.” She pats my hand. “And she’s in a great place now. Happy with the man she’s loved since she was a little girl. I don’t have to worry about her anymore.”
“They make a lovely couple.” I take a sip of my wine.
“Caleb treats her like a queen, and he’s a good man. Like my Alesso.” Her entire face lights up. “I just wanted to say two things. I don’t know if anything is going on with Fiero, and I don’t need to know. It’s none of my business.” She grasps my hand. “I just wanted you to know you’re totally safe with him. He’s a good man, and there is nobody better to protect you.”
“I know.” A genuine smile ghosts over my lips. “I have never been treated better or felt more safe.”
“That’s good.” She takes a drink of her wine, and so do I, and we don’t talk for a few minutes, both of us contemplative, but the silence isn’t awkward. After a few minutes, she clears her throat. “I was in a very bad way after my husband died. Broken. Lost. Struggling to cope and be there for my children.” Her eyes drill into mine. “I don’t know your specific circumstances. All Sierra said was your husband was a monster and you’ve endured horrific things. Most all of us have, unfortunately, suffered at the hands of various made men.”
“I hope in time everyone will abide by The Commission’s new policies and rulings so it becomes a thing of the past.”
“A lot of good has been done, but there will always be a few bad eggs. The older generation is old-school, and a lot of them are resistant of the new ways, but they are dying out, and the younger generation is more progressive and respectful.”
“True.” I knock back more wine.
“Alesso saved me in so many ways. After Alfonso, I had all but given up on life, and I definitely never expected love. I was so broken and thought there was no way I could ever be happy withanyman, but I wasglad to be proven wrong.” She squeezes my hand. “I strongly encourage you to go to therapy, Valentina. It helped me a lot, and I hope you meet someone as wonderful as Alesso and that your second marriage is as happy as mine.”
Tears glisten in my eyes.
“I thought it might give you hope to know my story. To know this isn’t the end. It’s a new beginning, and I encourage you to grasp it with both hands because you deserve to be happy.”
35
VALENTINA
When we return to the table, all the food has been served and Fiero is sitting in my seat at the women’s table being put through his paces. “You were gone a long time. Are you okay?” he asks, reaching out to grab me onto his lap.
I fix him with a pointed look, and he scowls, sighing as he climbs off the chair to let me sit down. “I’m fine. Serena gave me a tour of Caleb and Elisa’s house. It’s fabulous.”
“I got you some food.” He moves a heaped plate in front of me. Picking up a fork, he places it in my hand. “Eat before you have any more champagne.”
I barely resist the urge to tell him to fuck off. I count to ten in my head and plaster a sickly-sweet smile on my face. “Thanks for the food. Now run along. This is strictly a female zone, and you don’t have the right body parts.”
The ladies chuckle while Fiero looks like he wants to put me over his knee and spank the shit out of me.
“You’ll pay for that later,” he growls in my ear before stomping off.
“Yeah.” Frankie grins wide. “You’ve definitely been enjoying the perks of his sex room.”
