“It’s fine, everyone has bad nights.”
“He hates it when I drink,” she murmurs. The way she says hate makes something uneasy coil in my stomach.
“You don’t need to apologize to me.”
“But I ruined your welcome dinner.” Her voice wavers. “The family don’t like me already. I think I made it worse. I just want Thomas to love me. But I keep messing up.”
Her tone is…so raw that I can’t help but feel sorry for her. I guess she hasn’t figured it out yet. You cannot force someone to love you. “I’m sure they care; the family adores Evie, and you’re her mother, so it must be the same for you.”
Her smile is brittle. “Evie, yes. Me? No. Rosa thinks I’m weak. In this family, Rosa’s word is law.”
Lucilla lets out a dry laugh. She looks away. “I don’t want to drink like that. But Thomas and the guys… they’re always out. With other women.”
My stomach drops. “What? Thomas is cheating on you?”
Her silence speaks volumes. Lucilla stares at the water, as if it holds all her secrets. “He thinks I don’t know. But I do. My friend Elana…she’s with Cyan. Those two have been on and off for a while. He took her to the Mayor’s Ball. Elana said she sees him when he’s in Boston.”
My heart stops. “What?” The word comes out strangled.
Lucilla’s head snaps up to face me; she’s pale. “I shouldn’t have said that. Please don’t tell Cyan. Please.”
I climb out of the pool, wrapping the towel tight around me to hide the sudden shaking in my hands. Elana. Cyan. Of course. How could I have been so stupid?
Lucilla continues, voice trembling, “It…slipped out…I-I didn’t mean to.”
For the first time, her makeup-perfect façade cracks. The exhaustion, the fear, the loneliness. It’s all bleeding through, and I see it–she’s mentally drowning. To sit here smiling, pretending the man she loves isn’t in another woman’s bed? The bitter thought coils tight in my chest. I actually thought I might want this. In a couple of years, I could be Lucilla.
“Please don’t say I told you,” Lucilla begs, her arms crossed protectively over her chest, like she’s physically trying to hold herself together.
“I won’t.”
Her relief is immediate. “Thanks. I don’t want Thomas angry at me.” There’s something in her voice, low, guarded, that makes my skin prickle. I wonder if she’s safe. Is this a Rosa and Roberto situation? Does Thomas hit...?
Lucilla exhales. “Thanks so much, Aria. I’ll owe you one. You’re lucky, you know. This house? So much better than mine. The view. The square footage. If I were you, I’d redecorate.”
I grip my towel tighter. “Lucilla, this is Cyan’s house. I don’t intend to be living here long term.” The sound of footsteps has me turning.
Rosa approaches, smile fading when she sees Lucilla. “Aria,” she pauses. “Lucilla.”
“Evening Rosa.” Lucilla says as she rushes to her feet. “Thanks for listening, Aria.” Her voice is soft, her shoulders drooping despite her straight posture. “I should go.”
When she disappears around the corner, Rosa turns to me, expression unreadable. “What did she want?”
“To apologize,” I snap, sharper than I intend. “Why don’t you like her?”
Rosa sighs. “It’s not dislike. It’s distrust.”
“What?” My frustration flares. “She’s Thomas’s wife and she thinks she not wanted here. I can see why.”
Rosa’s eyes sharpen. “Aria, there are things you don’t know.”
Yeah, like Cyan still being with Elana.I don’t say it. I just press forward. “She seems isolated here, and she’s drinking because she feels unwanted–”
“Aria,” Rosa cuts in gently. “Do you know why Cyan installed biometric locks?”
I blink. “Security? To keep me captive.”
Rosa’s jaw tightens. “Not originally. Lucilla broke in one night. Drunk. Wearing lingerie. After a fight with Thomas. She went to Cyan’s bedroom and tried to seduce him.”
