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“On the dot,” she says. She walks toward the front of her building, stops, and looks back at me. She stares at me for a couple of seconds, turns, and walks into the building without giving me a second glance.

I stand there and let out three deep sighs.

I pull out my phone and call Lucinda.

“I didn’t think you were going to call me back. I thought you were going to have me get on a plane.”

“Now, why would I do that, Lucinda?” My voice is sharp, and I realize that I’m in this far too deep, and I hate that. This was meant to be a simple deal, and now everything is far too complicated.

“Because you miss me, and you want to see me,” she says sarcastically.

“As much as I love you, Lucinda, and as much as I think you’re the best assistant in the world, I do not need to see you. How are the files going for the new Lindatin case?”

“Fine. They’re nearly done. They’ll be in your inbox in the next hour.”

“Perfect,” I say. “And what about the Emotiva assessment?”

“They’ll be done by the end of next week. We need to get some surveyors in to look at the land, but I think everything is going according to plan.”

“Perfect. So, what did you want to speak to me about?”

“It’s about this entire charade that you’re on.”

“Yes,” I say.

“Does that poor girl know that she is not really your assistant?”

“Lucinda.”

“I mean, seriously, I can’t believe no one has figured this out yet.”

“Lucinda, what is this all about?”

“There’s something you need to know. Something that one of the private investigators dug up.”

“Yeah, and that is?”

“It’s about that Elisabetta girl.

“Elisabetta Franco?”

“Yes. There’s something you should know. Something that’s going to make this a lot more complicated than you initially thought.”

Fuck. I think to myself.What now?

Chapter Thirteen

Elisabetta

I turn on the TV and stare at the screen for about five minutes. My mind is racing. I don't know what to think. I don't know what to do. Everything in my life is crashing down around me, and I don't understand why. Just a month ago, I'd thought I was one of the luckiest women in the world, but not when it came to love.

I've never had a successful relationship, but I've been blessed in many other ways. I’m pretty. Men, at least some of them, think I’m gorgeous. I have the best best friend in the world. My father had enough money to keep me in a lifestyle I enjoyed. I could shop until I dropped.

"But were you really happy?" I whisper to myself. I stare at my grandiose apartment, and I know the answer, but I don't want to admit it to myself. I'm lonely. I've been lonely for much of my life, but living with Skye has helped to mask my inner solitude. And now, even Skye is gone. She is in love. She has someone else who is the most important person in her life, and I feel all alone.

I debate calling Romeo, but I don't want to upset him. He would absolutely break down if he knew that my father was going broke or perhaps already broke. I don't know what to do. I don't want to have to marry a man just so my dad could get enough money, but I also don't want people to suffer, not Romeo, not my dad, not my aunts, and not the other people that my father took care of.

I take a deep breath, grab a throw pillow, and scream into it. I beat my fists into the couch and feel tears running down my face. Right now, I wish I had a dog to hug and kiss and hold tight, someone to lick me and tell me that it is all gonna be okay.