Page 10 of His Little Angel

I drop my purse on the couch, kick off my heels, and head straight for the shower. When I’m done, I throw on an oversized shirt, plug in my heating pad, and curl on my bed with it pressed tight to my stomach. I can’t stand being alone with my thoughts, so I call my sister.

Lilly picks up on the third ring.

“Hold on—HOLD ON, LEO—God, Mila, give me a second.” There’s frantic rustling; my newborn nephew is giving her hell. Poor thing has a digestion issue and is gassy all the time. “Okay, tell me.”

“I quit.”

“You—wait, what?” Another baby scream pierces through. “Leo, sweetheart, please—Mila, QUIT what?”

“My job.” I squeeze the heating pad harder against my stomach. “Enzo. The company. All of it. I’m done.”

She goes silent for a full two seconds, which is the longest she’s ever been quiet in her life.

“You quit Enzo Morelli,” she repeats slowly, making sure she heard right and not hallucinating from sleep deprivation. “Why? What happened? Did he finally combust from being emotionally constipated?”

I let out a humorless laugh. “No. I’m just—I can’t do it anymore. I can’t work next to a man who doesn’t even notice I exist unless he needs something typed. A man that doesn’t realize how in love with him I am.”

“Mila, you’ve been in love with that man for three damn years.”

“I know. And he’s never going to look at me the way I—it’s stupid.”

“It’s not stupid.” I hear her shifting, probably rocking the baby. “It’s painful. And it’s… toxic as hell. But you did the right thing,” she continues. “You should have left a long time ago. You deserve to breathe without wondering if he’s going to notice you today or ignore you tomorrow. You deserve… hell, you deserve someone who actually sees you. He’s not in the wrong for not feeling anything towards you, but you’re also not in the wrong for wanting something safer for your heart. It’s just an ugly situation.”

“I feel like I’m going to fall apart,” I whisper.

“Good, let yourself fall apart. Then get up. And go live. Go out. Go dancing. Go kiss someone who looks at you like you’re a miracle, not like you’re another item on his damn schedule.”

She’s right, it’s about time I lived a little.

“And Mila,” she adds, “you’re not cheating on Enzo by moving on. He never gave you anything to be loyal to. You’re free. It’s time to start acting like it.”

She hit the nail right on the head. For whatever psychological reason I don’t want to get into, I feel guilty for trying to move on…like I’m cheating on Enzo. Which is insane, because we’re absolutely nothing more than the office.

“I hate how right you are,” I murmur.

“I know. I also know you’re heartbroken. But staying stuck on a man who only sees your back as you walk out of his office? Is that what you really want?”

Just like always, she’s right.

I try to imagine what freedom even feels like. It doesn't come. But I’m sure it will. Eventually.

Chapter Five

Enzo

This new assistant-in-training is doing everything right, and somehow that makes me want to put my fist through a wall.

She shows up early. Dresses exactly by the book. Doesn’t touch anything that isn’t hers. Doesn’t hover or flirt or giggle.

She’s… perfect.

And I fucking hate her for it.

Because perfection means she’s the closest anyone has come to replacing Mila.

My Mila—

The woman who could read my entire day off the tension in my jaw.