He guides me outside through the courtyard. The sound of gushing water captures my attention. I turn and see a four-tiered stone waterfall a little bit away from here. Beside it is a swimming pool, the water glistening a vibrant shade of blue.
The air turns perfumed as we pass the flower garden. The smell makes me nauseous. This estate has everything you could ever possibly want in life.
But it doesn't have my freedom.
And I want that more than I need a place to live after the breakup.
Iwillfind a way to get out of this. Even if it ends with my dead body wasting away in the San Bernardino mountains for those five different species of vultures.
I step out of the car Valerian arranged for me, and walk the rest of the way to Lila’s apartment in Venice beach.
I didn’t want to accept the car. But I didn’t have much choice. Valerian lives right at the top of Beverly Hills. I’m limited on cash. Transport isn’t something I can afford to splurge on, and the ride Valerian organized for me was free. So, I begrudgingly accepted.
I take out my keys, unlocking the door.
I’ll miss living in Malibu, waking up to ocean views every morning. But Venice Beach is nice. It also means I’ll be seeing more of Lila. She was kind enough to let me stay with her while I find a new place to live.
I discard my keys on the side and collapse straight into the couch. What a fucking day.
I stare into space. Time to put an action plan together on how I’m gonna get out of this marriage.
Firstly, Valerian doesn’t know where I’m staying. Maybe I’m off the hook. Maybe the guy was just fear mongering. Mafia bosses must get bored. Valerian could’ve tied me to his bed to make the time pass. That’s one thing people like him aren’t short of.
The door flies open, snapping me from my trance.
“Hey, girl.” Lila steps into the apartment balancing grocery bags in her hand.
I jump off the couch, and take some from her hands. I start unpacking them, frowning when I come across two containers of my favorite Erewhon ice cream—the one with the almond milk and organic berries. They cost an absolute fortune.
I swizzle around, facing her. “Care to explain why you’ve spent fifty bucks onice cream?”
Lila shrugs it off, helping me unpack. “I thought we could have a movie night together. Sorry, I’ve been held down with work so much. We haven’t spent any quality time together. And you need to get over this breakup.”
Safe to say I’m already over it.
“With ice cream?”
“Yeah. It’s all organic ingredients, so you’ll feel good eating it. Nobody wants to wake up the next morning feeling heartbrokenandbloated.”
“Thanks,” I say. “But honesty, Lila, the last thing I am is heartbroken over Igor.”
“But you were in love.”
“Yeah. But I’m more angry than in love.”
Lila slots some things away in the pantry and turns over her shoulder. “Did you burn the documents?”
I come to a halt. “Not exactly.”
“You’re kidding?” Lila huffs. “He was home, wasn’t he?”
I bite my lip. I wanna tell Lila all about the day I’ve had, and I will. Just when I’ve put all of this to bed.
“Yep. He threw me out.”
“Oh my god, he’s such an asshole. I can’t believe he was trying to frame you for offshore tax evasion.”
“I know. But I’m tired of talking about Igor. Let’s talk about something else.” I pull the receipt out of the last bag. “Like why you spent over three hundred bucks on groceries.”
