Page 91 of Doll's Eye

“You’ve thought about it,” I muse.

“I’ve thought about a lot of things, Massimo. I had a lot of time on my hands.” There’s no amusement in her tone.

“You could’ve done anything with your life.”

“Mylife. Yes. It wasmylife, and it was taken from me. So, I chose another one because it was mine to choose.”

We’re quiet as we stare at each other for a heated moment. I’m pleasantly surprised when she doesn’t react as I reach up and tuck some of her dark hair behind one of her ears. She claims she isn’t who she used to be, but it’s a complete lie. It’s still her. Only a few years older and wiser with a chink in her armor.

“You really didn’t know what I was doing?” she asks quietly.

My body goes rigid. The sight of her standing in the center of her home in ruins, untouched and unscathed, sent emotionsswarming inside of me. Part of me saw her as a goddess standing in the middle of a tornado, unmoved. Another part of me felt like I had failed her.

“Tullio assured me he would have some kind of eye on you to make sure you were okay. If I kept an eye on you, I wouldn’t have stayed away.”

Her eyes dart to the floor and I can see her walls shoot back up. “I wasn’t doing it for attention. I needed an outlet, that’s all.” She looks at me again, face hardened. “I don’t think I can ever forgive you, Massimo. In order to survive in this world, I cannot give second chances. Just because I cared for you and even loved you doesn’t make you an exception.”

“You’ve forgiven Tullio.”

She looks away again. “I’ve forgiven him because he didn’t play me. You did.” She stands up and heads into the closet.

The conversation is over for tonight. If I try and defend myself and tell her that she couldn’t be more wrong, it’ll turn into an argument ruining the tiny bit of progress we’ve just made.

Going to bed without yelling is a success and I’ll take what I can.

Chapter forty-six

Massimo

Alessia’s words pertaining to Vita hit me and left me reflecting on the last however many years.

How could I not see Vita’s cry for help?

So, I sent someone out to California to check in on her, and what they found was unsettling. If I do not intervene now, she will soon be dead.

It’s time to bring her home.

There’s a polite knock on the door to my office and I call out for entry. Sarita pops her head in and smiles. “You wanted to see me?”

“Yes.” I lean back in my chair, and she closes the door behind her. “Have a seat.”

“Sure.” She sits down.

“I hope you don’t have any plans today.”

“Nothing important.”

“Good. We’re taking a trip.”

“We are? Where to?”

“California. All of us.”

“Okay…? Mind filling me in?”

“It’s where Vita is.”

Her eyes light up. “You found her?”