Page 9
“I know.”
“I’m sorry, Sammy. I should also say sorry to Justin. I shouldn’t have gotten either of you involved.”
“Tonia, you couldn’t have gotten me into it if I didn’t want to.”
Tonia smiled at him in a sarcastic way. “I did something dumb again, didn’t I?”
“No,” Sammy told her again.
“When I first found out Raph cheated, I did a lot of dumb things. I looked for his mistress and begged her to leave him by giving her money.”
“And what happened?”
“She took the money and stayed with him anyway. They were still all over each other. She took my money and didn’t even follow through! What a bitch!”
Sammy put a loose hair behind her ear. “Then?”
“Then he was with someone else. I thought that if being nice didn’t work, I would try being mean. I hired someone to kidnap the woman and told her I would throw her in the sea if she didn’t leave him.”
“Did she trust you?”
Tonia laughed with anger. “Raph came and saved her.”
“I understand.”
She sat back and looked up at the ceiling as she started to tell the story of all the crazy and desperate things she had done, like hurting herself and even jumping off a building.
She had also barged into Raph’s office to cause a fuss and put up pictures of him with his mistresses all over the city.
She had gone completely crazy, doing anything and everything to keep her sanity.
“I just don’t get it.” Tonia took a deep breath and tried to stop the tears from falling. “How could he, the man who used to love me so much, stand by and watch me go crazy?”
Sammy kissed her, but Tonia pushed away a little.
He stopped, not sure what to do.
His stare made Tonia feel uncomfortable. “I’m sorry.”
“Let me guess. You’re going to tell me we shouldn’t see each other anymore, right?”
Tonia wanted to deny it, but Sammy had already figured it out.
“Whether it’s me or Justin, we’ve both been used in your little revenge plot against Raph. Now that you’ve gotten what you wanted, I’m no longer useful. So, you’re just going to leave?”
Tonia said in a low voice, “I… I don’t have to leave right away.”
“What do you think of me, Tonia? A toy for your fun?”
She replied, “It takes two to tango. If you say that, I’m just a doll the size of a person to you.”
He laughed. “I never knew you were so free-spirited.”
Tonia didn’t say anything.
“Or do you love Raph so much that you’re willing to plot and scheme to keep him or get back at him? But for people you don’t care about, you’re totally detached.”
Sammy’s voice got lower. “Like me.”
Tonia was confused. “You’re Raph’s cousin.”
“Yeah, and what?”
“To me, you’ve always been my cousin, too.”
“It didn’t seem that way when you knocked on my door.”
Tonia had actually regretted it as soon as she knocked on his door.
Justin was the first person she wanted to hurt. He was Raph’s best friend and business partner, which made him the best candidate. But Justin was away on a business trip.
She had been drinking, and while she was drunk, she looked through her contacts. Raph couldn’t get in touch with most of her pals, but she did end up calling Sammy.
Their talk had been short. Tonia had enquired where he was and then went out to find him immediately away.
Sammy kissed him and then grabbed her up and threw her on the bed as she opened the door to room 3601 at the Star Hotel. No words were spoken. Things just happened.
Tonia thought about it once the booze wore off. She thought Sammy’s reaction was strange. He could have merely mentioned he was at a hotel or that he had stopped at the Star Hotel. But he had given her the number of the room.
“Tonia,” Sammy questioned, “Do you still love him?”
She shook her head. “I told you it was over between me and him. I used to hold on to all the memories and love that lasted more than ten years. But I’ve come to terms with the fact that I was the only one stuck in the past. Raph hasn’t been that guy for a long time.”
“So, what are you going to do now?”
“Divorce.”
“And then?”
Tonia thought for a second. “I don’t know.”
Sammy said, “What about a vacation?”
Tonia turned her back on him and lay onto her side. “I’m tired and don’t want to go anywhere.”
Sammy laughed. “You keep your guard up around me.”
“I’m not.”
“Then why did you say no so quickly? I didn’t even say I’d go with you.”
Tonia stopped talking.
Sammy stood up and lightly tousled her hair. “Don’t stay in there too long, or you’ll get dizzy. I’m going.”
She raised her head. “Where are you going?”
“Why does it matter?”
“This is your place,” she said. “I should be the one to leave.”
“And where would you go?”
Tonia couldn’t go back to the house where she and Raph lived. Both of her parents had gotten married again and established new families. She had nowhere to go.
“Stay here,” Sammy told them. “This isn’t the only flat I have.”
Tonia said, “I’ll just stay here for a few days until I find a new place.”
Sammy hummed. “Your choice.”
Sammy really did move out.
“I’m sorry, Sammy. I should also say sorry to Justin. I shouldn’t have gotten either of you involved.”
“Tonia, you couldn’t have gotten me into it if I didn’t want to.”
Tonia smiled at him in a sarcastic way. “I did something dumb again, didn’t I?”
“No,” Sammy told her again.
“When I first found out Raph cheated, I did a lot of dumb things. I looked for his mistress and begged her to leave him by giving her money.”
“And what happened?”
“She took the money and stayed with him anyway. They were still all over each other. She took my money and didn’t even follow through! What a bitch!”
Sammy put a loose hair behind her ear. “Then?”
“Then he was with someone else. I thought that if being nice didn’t work, I would try being mean. I hired someone to kidnap the woman and told her I would throw her in the sea if she didn’t leave him.”
“Did she trust you?”
Tonia laughed with anger. “Raph came and saved her.”
“I understand.”
She sat back and looked up at the ceiling as she started to tell the story of all the crazy and desperate things she had done, like hurting herself and even jumping off a building.
She had also barged into Raph’s office to cause a fuss and put up pictures of him with his mistresses all over the city.
She had gone completely crazy, doing anything and everything to keep her sanity.
“I just don’t get it.” Tonia took a deep breath and tried to stop the tears from falling. “How could he, the man who used to love me so much, stand by and watch me go crazy?”
Sammy kissed her, but Tonia pushed away a little.
He stopped, not sure what to do.
His stare made Tonia feel uncomfortable. “I’m sorry.”
“Let me guess. You’re going to tell me we shouldn’t see each other anymore, right?”
Tonia wanted to deny it, but Sammy had already figured it out.
“Whether it’s me or Justin, we’ve both been used in your little revenge plot against Raph. Now that you’ve gotten what you wanted, I’m no longer useful. So, you’re just going to leave?”
Tonia said in a low voice, “I… I don’t have to leave right away.”
“What do you think of me, Tonia? A toy for your fun?”
She replied, “It takes two to tango. If you say that, I’m just a doll the size of a person to you.”
He laughed. “I never knew you were so free-spirited.”
Tonia didn’t say anything.
“Or do you love Raph so much that you’re willing to plot and scheme to keep him or get back at him? But for people you don’t care about, you’re totally detached.”
Sammy’s voice got lower. “Like me.”
Tonia was confused. “You’re Raph’s cousin.”
“Yeah, and what?”
“To me, you’ve always been my cousin, too.”
“It didn’t seem that way when you knocked on my door.”
Tonia had actually regretted it as soon as she knocked on his door.
Justin was the first person she wanted to hurt. He was Raph’s best friend and business partner, which made him the best candidate. But Justin was away on a business trip.
She had been drinking, and while she was drunk, she looked through her contacts. Raph couldn’t get in touch with most of her pals, but she did end up calling Sammy.
Their talk had been short. Tonia had enquired where he was and then went out to find him immediately away.
Sammy kissed him and then grabbed her up and threw her on the bed as she opened the door to room 3601 at the Star Hotel. No words were spoken. Things just happened.
Tonia thought about it once the booze wore off. She thought Sammy’s reaction was strange. He could have merely mentioned he was at a hotel or that he had stopped at the Star Hotel. But he had given her the number of the room.
“Tonia,” Sammy questioned, “Do you still love him?”
She shook her head. “I told you it was over between me and him. I used to hold on to all the memories and love that lasted more than ten years. But I’ve come to terms with the fact that I was the only one stuck in the past. Raph hasn’t been that guy for a long time.”
“So, what are you going to do now?”
“Divorce.”
“And then?”
Tonia thought for a second. “I don’t know.”
Sammy said, “What about a vacation?”
Tonia turned her back on him and lay onto her side. “I’m tired and don’t want to go anywhere.”
Sammy laughed. “You keep your guard up around me.”
“I’m not.”
“Then why did you say no so quickly? I didn’t even say I’d go with you.”
Tonia stopped talking.
Sammy stood up and lightly tousled her hair. “Don’t stay in there too long, or you’ll get dizzy. I’m going.”
She raised her head. “Where are you going?”
“Why does it matter?”
“This is your place,” she said. “I should be the one to leave.”
“And where would you go?”
Tonia couldn’t go back to the house where she and Raph lived. Both of her parents had gotten married again and established new families. She had nowhere to go.
“Stay here,” Sammy told them. “This isn’t the only flat I have.”
Tonia said, “I’ll just stay here for a few days until I find a new place.”
Sammy hummed. “Your choice.”
Sammy really did move out.