The party is being held at a five-star hotel. From the outside, it looks like a normal place, without much security and with wealthy people walking around. But as Eleonor and Lisette make their way through the lobby, they notice that there are security guards everywhere, disguised in suits that would cost the annual salaries of ordinary workers. She knows they're security guards because she has spent the last two years dealing with them. They're usually well-trained and discreet, blending easily into the crowd. People wouldn't be suspicious if they weren't paying close attention. “I can't believe I'm the one asking this, but…” Lisette looks around, worried. She follows Eleonor with quick steps, crossing the lobby. “Are you sure this is a good idea?” Oh, certainly isn't a good idea. Giovanni specifically asked that they stay at the resort. He wants to keep her off the illicit business, and she's going directly to a place where the biggest dealers are gathering for who knows what. This
Yes, Giovanni is angry. One can tell from his serious expression, the way his jaw is firmly locked. He takes a few moments to try to understand the situation because he thinks he's delirious. After all, he told her to stay at the fucking resort. And yet, she's there… knowing that this is the last place she should set foot in and reveal her fucking identity.Giovanni is overcome with anger. His wrath is only worsened by the cynical smile on her lips.He approaches her after he excuses himself from his companion and doesn't even look at Lisette because he knows he’ll explode immediately. So, he just approaches his wife, who gives him a soft kiss on the lips. And that makes much of his anger disappear instantly, as if everything could be okay by her touch, by her mouth's softness… But the sharp eyes of all the guests are on them. He can feel them.He abruptly pushes her by the arms, digging his fingers into the bare white skin. She looks simply irresistible in that dress… Like a precious
Giovanni turns away and returns to the group, and Eleonor finally recognizes one of the faces. Antonio gives her a subtle glance but turns his attention completely to Giovanni. Lisette approaches her friend and says low, between her teeth, “I have to say that this was a terrible idea... I feel like at least three dealers are looking at my ass like it's a rare product.” Eleonor can't resist and gives a low laugh. “I'm sorry, that was a really bad idea. Let's go back…” “Oh, no… we've already done this good, so we need to enjoy it!” Lisette looks around. “I think I made enough wrong decisions for a single day. Giovanni ordered me to stay at the resort, and yet we followed him here.” “And since when do you care about his orders?” Lisette sighs. “Since I acted on impulse and made things worse.” Eleonor shrugs her shoulders and her body withers, as if she's ashamed and overwhelmed by negative feelings. “I don't want to make it any worse.” “Well, it seems to me that you don't have to w
ㅤ TRIGGER WARNING — SUICIDE ATTEMPT ㅤ Back at the resort, Eleonor assured her friend that she would be fine. But in the silence of the room, she detached herself inside her mind. She reaches out to the balcony, looking up at the starry night sky. Do stars feel like this? Do stars feel lonely even though they're surrounded by so many others? Eleonor realizes how small she is, how unstable she is, and how insignificant her existence has been. She sighs and leans against the fence, watching the calm sea waves meet the dark sky on the horizon. How long has she been there? Ten minutes? An hour? She can't tell. Time seems to be moving at a slow pace. The moon doesn't seem to want to go away, and the sun doesn't seem to want to rise. And what if it doesn't? Would it make any difference? Eleonor tries to find a reason to wait for the dawn, but she can't find one. What's to look forward to, anyway? Her family doesn't give a damn about her. Her ex-boyfriend cheated on her with her own sist
Morning came, even though the night seemed to last forever. Eleonor couldn't sleep for a single minute. The wave of intense emotions caused terrible insomnia. The employee who helped the girls by using the spare key to open the door called for a medical team, which treated Lisette and Eleonor's injuries. The result was bandages on her feet, legs, hands, and neck. Lisette also got bandages on her legs and hand because she held the glass shard tightly.After Lisette fell asleep, Eleonor found Giovanni's pack of cigarettes, which were in the same drawer as the gun. She never cared for nicotine, but she would be grateful for any comfort she could find. Sitting on the balcony, she drags for the first time. When the smoke reaches her lungs, she coughs. But she drags again and again… until she gets a little used to the sensation and the quietness that dampens her nerves.She tilts her head back, feeling pain in her neck cut. With the adrenaline levels low and her body
Eleonor is finally leaving Mexico. Even though it's a beautiful country with lovely people, a lot has happened in the days she has been staying at the most luxurious resort in Cancun. She got close to and then distanced herself from Giovanni. She arrived giving her heart away and now is leaving with its pieces lost among the white sand. But it's better this way. Break down, rebuild up, and move on.But the problem with moving on with some pieces missing, is that eventually one tries to fill these empty spaces with anything that can fit.“Are you sure you want to go with me?” Eleonor asks Lisette, who's looking at the landscape slowly passing by the car window.“Seriously?” She looks at her friend. “I've always wanted to see America!”Eleonor gives a weak smile, then looks down at her own hands. Bandaged. The memories of that night are still a bit hazy. She only remembers the intention. The willingness to feel and
Giovanni has been sitting on the sofa in his room for at least two hours, in complete silence. Suddenly, everything seems so empty. Even now, he can still inhale her perfume and shampoo. The bedsheets still smell like her. And he couldn't help but smell the pillows to ease the lump in his throat. He would be lying if he said he didn't think about getting on a plane and going after her, leaving all his commitments behind to get back the one thing he once loved so desperately that he almost suffocated. But his duty as Corvi Neri's leader — and his honor as a Reviello always came before his identity as Giovanni… before his role as a husband. That's why he drowned himself in a whole bottle of scotch and a whole pack of cigarettes. Because drowning his demons has always been the easiest way to deal with them. On this day, especially, they seem to be persistent. Giovanni tilts his head back completely, staring at the room's ceiling that seems to spin around him. Then he closes his eyes, a
Three weeks have passed since Eleonor came back to America. Even though her life has been terrible here, the feeling of returning after two years in foreign lands is refreshing. But the best part is staying away from Giovanni. Even though she's staying in his villa, there's no sign of him, just like the villa in Florence. The lack of memories of Giovanni has facilitated her healing process, which is still far from being over. The physical wounds she infringed that night have already healed, but the soul's pieces she lost still bleed.She does feel a strange sense of nostalgia in her nerves, though.Since then, she has not had any contact with Emily or the Evans. She went straight to Giovanni's villa and didn't let anyone know of her arrival in the town, even though it was possible the news would reach them one way or another. But the fact remains that she's not ready to deal with her family yet, or face her cheater-sister, who's very active in society, especially now that her father h