MAN FOUND DEAD AT ROSE PRICK. I close the newspaper as soon as I see this headline. I close it so quickly that everyone around the table glances at me. I make a point of not looking at them as I fold the newspaper and place it beside dad. I pick up my cup of coffee and drink, but my hands are shaking. I can't seem to get that headline out of my head. I didn't even read the story. I don't believe that I have to. Luca killed that man. He had him killed. And I don't know what to feel about this. No, I do. I feel awful and nauseated. I feel like I'll pass out at any second. A man was killed because of me. This isn't anything that's easy to acknowledge even in my world. I only finish my cup of coffee. I don't have much appetite for anything else. I rarely read the morning paper, so I don't know what came into me to try to read it today. I would be better off not knowing, but at the same time, that's not quite true. I excuse myself from the table and go upstairs. Lately, all that I do
Brett searches my face for the twentieth time. I hate it when he does this because he always ends up figuring out what the hell is wrong with me. He knows me too well. I'm trying to hide my emotions because hiding is easier than explaining, and I haven't told them the ugly truth about this. I gave them a flimsy excuse about last night and lied about even going to the Rose Prick. I want to forget everything associated with that place. I don't think that I'll be going back there anytime soon. My plan after leaving Luca's hotel was to go straight home, but Victoria called and I couldn't brush her off or she'd want to pay me a visit at home and I don't want that. Home hasn't been the same in a while, and I think it's best if I keep them far away from the place. Hell, even I don't want to be there most of the time. It's scary how a place that used to be my safe haven has become a place of nightmares. At least I had Mary to keep me company on most days. Now, I don't even have that. Thin
Luca As soon as the Walsh family walk into the venue, I feel disappointment spreading through me. Laura isn't with them. I greet them kindly, of course. I do enjoy their company, unlike my parents and Eliza. They would have moved on to another family by now if I hadn't expressed my interest in Laura. A more influential family. The Walshes were never at the top of their list, and I'll confess that they weren't at the top of mine either, but things changed on that fateful morning. I looked at Laura and realized that I wanted her. And I've never been one to give up easily. "You look absolutely dashing, Luca," Angela tells me. I thank her for the compliment, then gulp my champagne down. I think of asking her where Laura is, but that will be too obvious. I don't want to make it obvious that I'm interested in her, especially because she hasn't expressed any interest in me. I saw something flash in her eyes today, something that ignited hope deep inside of me. I thought that if she cam
I crawl out of bed somewhere around eleven. Although I feel low and have nothing much to do at this time of the night, I can’t stand being alone with my thoughts. I already have a migraine and it feels like my head is going to explode. I need a momentary distraction. Food, perhaps. Anything that might help me fill this void inside of me. My family isn’t back yet, which is a relief because I don’t want to see Mary even though I’m thinking about apologizing to her for the things that I said. I was unnecessarily harsh to her, and I shouldn’t have done that. I should have gotten a better grip on my emotions and not made a reckless decision to spew out everything that I’ve been desperately trying to hold in. If anything, my outburst has made things worse. Once I’m in the kitchen, I stop in my tracks by the entrance. Constance turns around to face me. She’s in her pajamas, yet she’s still here. “Couldn’t sleep?” I ask her. A small smile tugs at the corners of her lips. “I was actually
I can't sleep after the conversation I've just had with Constance. We parted ways in the kitchen and she promised me that things would get better after she said that she's afraid that things will go badly. Obviously, anyone who heard what I said would say that. Mary and I have never had a disagreement this big before. We would argue about petty things. Things that felt huge at the time but were nothing, really. The two of us always got along just fine. She was always an exemplary big sister and I loved her. I still do. I hate that this is happening to us. More than anything else. I hear some noise outside my door and it makes me sit up in bed and strain my ears. Mary. I heard her bedroom door open. I keep waiting to hear more noise. Without meaning to, my heart begins racing. I hear whispers. They're talking. I get out of bed. For some reason, I want to hear what they're saying. I press my ear against the door, ignoring my feelings of guilt for eavesdropping.“…can possibly deny
I leave the shopping mall with my heart in my throat. I can't believe that crazy woman said that to me. The look in her eyes was wild and honestly, feral. I have no doubt that she was talking about Luca and not her husband. She has no reason to warn me off him. But why? Why would she say such a thing to me? What is it to her? She didn't sound like she was advising me. It sounded like she was threatening me. I decided to let the matter go. Going after her and causing a scene would lead to nothing. I'd only embarrass myself dealing with someone as crazy as her. I huff indignantly as I remember her words. This has worsened my mood considerably and cut my small me-moment short. I probably shouldn't have taken the things she said to me to the heart, but because this topic is already so sensitive to me, I can't control the way I feel about it. I search for my car keys in my purse. My hands are shaking a little; that's how infuriated I am. Her threat makes no sense although I have notice
“So,” Luca begins. “I take it you like the place.”I clear my throat before speaking. “It’s absolutely beautiful and breathtaking,” I say. I won’t lie about this. He can probably see it in my expression and demeanor. “It’s truly remarkable what they’ve done to this place.”“It took a lot of work,” he tells me. “But Hiroshi managed to breathe life into his project. He had a vision and believed in it. That’s something I respect and admire.”I say nothing to this. I don’t need to look at the time to know that it’s probably around ten thirty. It’s too early to have lunch, and I’m not hungry. There are menus in a basket beside the table, and I wonder if this is how things work or whether Luca told his friend that he didn’t want to be disturbed. It’s strange, sitting across from him. I say, “It’s too early for lunch.”“I thought we could talk for a while,” he says, confirming my suspicions. “It’s not everyday that I get to sit across from Laura Walsh. This is my only chance to get to kno
Three whole days have passed since I last saw Luca Ferrante.I was never delusional enough to think that things would change once he stopped being around me all the time, so the disappointment I feel isn’t as consuming as it’s supposed to be. Things have been rough. Nothing feels the same anymore, and I’m starting to lose hope that Mary and I will ever reconcile. I haven’t apologized to her for my harsh words the other day. I just don’t have the opportunity to. Every time she looks at me, I see her eyes darkening with hatred, and I can’t quite understand if it’s because of what I said to her or whether it’s something else. Of course, the logical reason would be the first one. I was harsh and unsympathetic. I took out all my frustrations and negative feelings on her. It was a horrible thing to do.But this isn’t the Mary I know. My sister isn’t like this rancorous and moody person. She’s kind and forgiving, which makes me feel like there’s something seriously wrong going on. The wors