Page 147 of Matteo

“I am.” He looks sheepish. Another new thing. There’s never, ever, been anything sheepish about Vlad. Valentina waves him over.

He turns to us. “Please, enjoy yourselves. We will talk later.”

Matteo and I are left alone in a scene that is glamorous, gorgeous and breathtakingly beautiful. Only, every cell in my body vibrates with unease.

“Mala?” Matteo asks. “What is that?”

“It means little one.”

“Little one?”

“I told you, he’s always looked out for me.”

“You haven’t really told me anything.” He looks past me, and I follow his gaze to where Takumi is standing.

My heart sinks.

Around him are other familiar faces. People from my past. From another version of me. The more people I recognize, the more trapped I feel. It seems impossible to keep my past contained when it’s standing only a few feet away.

I should never have come here with Matteo. It’s a suicide mission, but I want us to enjoy this evening. We've had so little time together that hasn't been interrupted by misunderstandings, work, or our own stubbornness. I step closer. “Matteo—”

But he's already heading toward Takumi, and panic darts through my chest as I follow him.

Then something unexpected happens.

Nobody talks about the past.

Takumi greets me with a hug again, and the others welcome me back as though no time has passed at all. The conversation quickly shifts to Vlad, his upcoming wedding, and the fact that none of us can quite believe he's finally getting married. Everyone has stories about the groom, opinions on the ceremony, and theories about how Valentina managed to tame him.

I wait for Matteo to start digging. To ask questions and to connect the dots.

Remarkably, he doesn't.

Instead, he listens politely, occasionally joining the conversation, never once trying to pry into parts of my life I've chosen not to share.

The knots in my stomach loosen a little.

As the evening wears on, we eat grilled fish and roasted vegetables, drink wine, and mingle beneath the lanterns strung between the trees. We even manage to dance. I spend time talking to Valentina, who is every bit as warm as she seems. I catch up with Vlad between his duties as host.

Before I know it, the sky has turned inky dark, the crowd has thinned, and the evening ends earlier than I'd feared.

The evening surprised me, in a good way.

***

MATTEO

We danced, and ate, and drank.

After a few beers and in that setting, my mood lifted slightly. It was impossible not to enjoy the evening with everyone talking and laughing around us. It seemed as if only Elizabeth and I were the quiet ones. Every time I looked at her face, my heart ached, because I hate it when she looks sad.

But none of this was my doing. The secrets and lies, they seem to follow us everywhere. I've already decided that after tomorrow, after the wedding, I'll go and see Mama.

Vlad seems nice enough, and these people seem pleasant, but it's the secrets I can't handle, and Elizabeth's reluctance to offer the slightest bit of information troubles me.

We get back to our suite, when my phone rings. I answer it immediately when I see who it is. “Alex?” I need to take this in private, away from Elizabeth.

“Sorry to disturb you, but this is urgent.” His tone is off. He lowers his voice to a whisper. “Can you talk, alone?”