Page 112 of Contempt

Lucia’s gaze drifted to the item sitting at the top of her bag—her cell phone. She eyed it for a second before it clicked in her head like a lightbulb going off. It should have been obvious, but nothing seemed to be coming easy to her lately.

Why would this be any different?

Christian had given her the number to his phone.

Hadn’t he?

He’d plugged it into her phone at the hotel.

Would a man like that pass up the chance to rub salt in the wound if she was practically offering herself to him?

She didn’t think so.

Lucia passed her father another look. He was still staring upward, but now, his lips moved silently. Probably mirroring the words he was speaking inside his head where no one but him and God could hear.

She just needed to get away from her father.

Luck would take care of the rest.

Hopefully.

• • •

“Daddy?”

“Lucia, just … don’t.”

The retching sound behind the door came again, and she cringed. Stepping back from the door because there was no way her father was going to let her inside the bathroom to help him, she glanced at the doorway of the hospital room.

This was her only chance.

She felt like shit for doing it. Her father was at his weakest point right now—sick, and in need of her help, or someone’s help. He didn’t need to come out of the private room’s bathroom just to find she had snuck out on him.

But how else could she do it?

When would she get the chance?

Lucia would apologize later.

That’s what this whole thing with her father had taught her. That’s what he taught her, and Renzo, too. There was nothing that couldn’t be fixed later. It didn’t matter when the apology came, just that it did, and it was genuine.

So yeah, she could apologize later.

Her father would understand.

She hoped …

Lucia headed out of the room after grabbing her things. Slipping her coat on, and slinging her bag around her shoulder, she fished the cell phone out as she came up to the nurses’ station. The woman who had been checking up on her father every ten minutes looked up at Lucia with a wide smile.

“Everything okay?” she asked.

Lucia shrugged. “He’s getting sick again. It’s not passing. Maybe some meds this time?”

The nurse frowned, but nodded. “Sometimes that happens. I’ll bring something in right away.”

“Thanks, and uh … could you tell him I just had to run down to grab something to eat from the cafeteria? I’ll be right back.”

All lies.