Page 1 of Nobody's Girl

Part One

Chapter One

New York City

Clemence Brochu looked at the man who, until a few moments ago, had been her fiancé. “You can’t mean it? Ivo…”

Her distress apparent, Ivo Zacca, his green eyes full of sorrow, reached for her hand. “Clemence…you cannot be surprised by this. We have been growing apart for months, if not longer. We barely see each other.”

Clemence snatched her hand away and got up, pacing the floor of her New York apartment. Ivo watched her, his expression one of concern. She stopped and gazed at him. Ivo Zacca. One of the most gloriously handsome men on the planet. Successful art dealer, son of two movie stars, his dark curls and green eyes made him a target for every gold-digger in the circles they spent their time in. Clemence had always prided herself on not being like them; she genuinely loved Ivo, had seen beyond the sheen to the man beneath, a man who loved his job, but not the social aspect that went with it. When he had to attend openings and parties, she had been by his side, ever ready to take up the conversation when she knew Ivo struggled with his shyness. Her field, biochemistry, was at the opposite spectrum to the art world, but she was adept at schmoosing whereas Ivo loathed it. She was his perfect foil.

And now he was telling her it was over. “Don’t think it’s because I don’t love you, Clemence,” he said quietly now. “That’s not the case. It’s just…I don’t think either of us are in love with the other and, in that case, I don’t see the point.”

Clemence sat down heavily in her chair. She had to hand it to him – he didn’t arrange a public dinner where she would be unable to scream or shout at him. He asked her to meet her at her apartment, where she could cuss him out, or punch him or…

Except Clemence didn’t do either. Because Ivo was right – they weren’t in love anymore. She sighed, rubbing her eyes then looked up to see the pain in his.

“Can we still be friends?” He asked softly and Clemence didn’t know how to answer him.

“Maybe,” she started to cry softly, “Maybe one day, Ivo. But not yet.”

He got up and came to her and she went into his arms for one last time. “I’m sorry, Clemence.”

“It’s okay,” she sniffed, “it’s okay. You’re right. It just hurts at the moment.”

He tilted her chin up so she could see the honesty in his eyes. “For me too, Clemence. You are my best friend.”

She nodded, then pulled away from him. “Best you go now, Ivo.”

“Can I call you?”

She hesitated then shook her head. “No. I think it’s best if we make a clean break for now.”

Ivo nodded, his whole body slumping with sadness. For a second, she wished he would looked relieved or happy, just so she could hate him for doing this, but she couldn’t. She walked him to the door, but before he went, he kissed her forehead. “Love you, Clemence.”

“I love you too, Ivo. But it isn’t enough, is it?”

It was only after Ivo had gone that she finally burst into tears.

Westchester, New York State

Sofia felt as if her heart had been ripped from her chest as she stood at the front of the congregation. She couldn’t take her eyes off her mother’s casket. Devaki, fifty-six years old, beautiful, kind, funny, dead from a brain aneurysm. So swift, so sudden. So final. Her step-brother Jonas, put his hand on Sofia’s shoulder and she was glad of the comfort. Her step-father, Fergus stared straight ahead of him, not looking at her. He was holding his daughter, Tamara’s hand. He didn’t glance at Sofia at all, didn’t comfort her, nothing. Sofia couldn’t understand what the hell had been going on since her mother’s death a week ago.

Since her mother had married Fergus, when Sofia was nine, Fergus had been her father, no questions. He had been loving, fun, caring, protective – he even personally helped Sofia move into her college dorm room – not many billionaire patriarchs did that. Whenever she visited home, he would be the second person after her mother to wrap her in a bear hug. “Welcome home, pumpkin,” he would say then pick her up and twirl her. Sofia stood at only five-feet-two, compared to her tall step-siblings. Tamara was the only dark spot. She had hated Sofia, the beautiful, half-Indian, half-American girl on sight – Sofia was the warm counterpoint to Tamara’s own icy blonde good looks. They had avoided each other mostly, but at family gatherings, Tamara could never resist getting a few digs in. Sofia knew better than to complain about Tamara. Her brother, Jones, more than made up for it. Jonas, a tall and thin, shaggy-looking teacher, was kind and generous and he and Sofia were closer than if they had been related. Neither of them cared about Fergus’s great wealth, unlike Tamara. When Sofia had graduated from college, Jonas was her biggest cheerleader.

Now, though, Sofia felt something shifting in her family. Tamara kept shooting her triumphant looks, which although she tried to ignore, Sofia felt like pounding the blonde’s face into the ground. Is she actually celebrating Mom’s death? It wouldn’t surprise Sofia – her mother and Tamara had fought constantly, even though Devaki swore to the young woman that she had no intention of replacing Tamara’s mother, Judy. Judy had died, from a fall, when Tamara was fifteen, and when Devaki married Fergus, three years later, Tamara had been beside herself. She didn’t speak to any of them for another three years and it was only through Jonas’s gentle peace-making that she returned to the family, aged twenty-two. Eight years later, and now Sofia sensed that Tamara would do anything to become her father’s number one girl again.

Sofia closed her eyes as the pallbearers took her mother’s casket out of the church. She let Jonas take her arm and lead her out and she watched her mother being lowered into the ground. Another insult – Tamara had flown into a rage when Fergus had told her Devaki would be buried in the Rutland mausoleum. His daughter’s fury had made him back down and now Devaki was being buried just outside of it. Fuck you, Tamara. Fuck you for being this petty. Sofia opened her eyes to see Tamara staring back at her. Her mouth hitched up in a grin on one side…and Sofia lost it. She lunged at Tamara, screaming, kicking, punching, until Tamara toppled backwards…into an open grave. She screamed as Jonas and Fergus pulled Sofia away, and other shocked mourners helped Tamara out.