Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 109608 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 548(@200wpm)___ 438(@250wpm)___ 365(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109608 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 548(@200wpm)___ 438(@250wpm)___ 365(@300wpm)
Alyona continued to look reproving as I got up and went to my closet.
I switched my slacks, blouse and heels with a Brunello Cucinelli cotton-silk, zip-up felpa and matching pull-on pants (not exactly a tracksuit, I told myself as I donned it). Even if I normally would put on slippers, I left my feet bare.
After that, I went to the bathroom, cleaned my face of Lynch’s spittle and moisturized.
While seated at the vanity, applying powder and mascara to get me through the evening, abruptly, I felt an uncontrollable rage boil inside me. A delayed reaction to being manhandled by a wife beater and deadbeat father.
Unable (unwilling?) to get a lock on it, I went to my purse, pulled out my phone, and did the only thing I had the power to do in that moment.
I called my children’s father.
“I think we’ve said all we intend to say to each other,” Roland said by way of greeting.
“I do believe you’ve lost Nico forever,” I retorted. “But I don’t know. He’s a good man. And men need their fathers. And because life is life, eventually he will need you. Now, in those times, he can turn to Jamie, or you can get your fucking shit together and behave like a decent human being in an effort at making it easier in future to mend this rift with your son.”
I was a little miffed at myself I’d lost it a bit in the midst of delivering that, but only a little.
“Nora—”
“Valentina wasn’t a lost cause, and please make note of the past tense, Roland. She wasn’t. Until your antics that Sunday. You’re holding on to her by a thread. And by the way, the one you thought you’d never lose, the hold you have on her is unraveling too. In short, whatever nonsense you’re up to, stop it. Before it’s too late.”
“I was your first love,” he spat.
“You still are,” I pointed out. “It’s just that I don’t love you anymore.”
“What we had…the passion, the fire—”
Oh my God!
Men!
“Roland, get over it. You poured a cold bucket of water over that fire then kicked dirt on it to make certain it was snuffed out. It’s done. How you can know who you were to me, what you gave me, what we had together, what you destroyed, and think you still have some right to do harm to me, I will never understand. Stop hurting me. For the love of God, please. Let me be happy.”
“Nora, bellisima,” he said softly.
“Goodbye, Roland,” I said resolutely.
Then I hung up.
After that, I went to the bar cart and made myself a very stiff drink.
Heiress and I were on martini number two (well, Heiress wasn’t partaking, she was just keeping me company).
This one, like the first, I’d just waved the vermouth over it in an act of faith to the art of martini making. There was a silver toothpick shoved full of bleu-cheese-stuffed olives rolling around in it.
And this was as I was when the front door opened, then crashed shut.
I jumped.
Heiress leapt off the couch to investigate.
Jamie stalked in, murder in his eyes.
“Darling—” I didn’t really begin.
“First, are you okay?” he demanded.
Uh-oh.
“You know?”
Of course he knew. It was a stupid question. It was written all over his face.
It could be any culprit, Arnold, Charlene, but I was betting Alyona.
“Arnold told me,” Jamie bit out.
Oh.
I was wrong.
“The question is, why didn’t you?” he asked.
“I was waiting until you got home.”
“You were…? Nora—” He cut himself off, looked away, tore his hand through his hair, then leaned toward me and bellowed, “Have you lost your mind? You were attacked!”
“You say it like it is, Mister Jamie,” Alyona encouraged from where she now stood in the doorway that led to the dining room, her arms crossed on her chest, her glare settled on me.
Jamie glanced at her then scowled at me.
“I don’t need to be attacked by you too,” I snapped at Jamie. Then looked to Alyona. “Either of you.”
Alyona stuck her nose up in the air.
“I’m not attacking you.” Jamie brought my attention back to him. “I’m pissed as fuck, and not all of it is at you. Though, Nora, my beloved, part of it is at you. I can’t believe you fucking waited until I got home.”
Hmm.
“I’m also calling the police,” Jamie continued. “Which is a useless endeavor at the moment, since the motherfucker has had hours to get away.”
“I know who he was, which is another reason why I waited for you to get home.”
Jamie’s head ticked.
“It was Chester Lynch,” I announced.
Jamie’s entire body went still as a statue.
So his “The fuck?” was tight.
“He said something about me thinking I can be Drusilla’s mom, you thinking you’re her dad, then he made a threat. That’s all he got out before Arnold pulled him away.”
“What threat did he make?”
I shook my head. “Something like, ‘you’ll learn.’”