Page 160 of Valentino

Forgive me.

“I will, you too.” He turns away from me and opens the door, and from his body language I just know that he’s onto me.

“Where’s my kiss?” I ask.

He comes to stand in front of me and cups my hand in his face before slowly kissing me, his lips linger over mine and I can feel the melancholy oozing out of him.

“Are you okay?” I frown.

“I don’t even know,” he murmurs sadly.

And that seals it, if I didn’t know if I was doing the right thing, I do now.

He can’t handle one more thing on his plate and I will not let Carlo lead this narrative.

Fuck that asshole.

I walk into the elevator and turn to face the front. Leaning against my doorjamb, he gives me a sarcastic smile and I watch in real time as his sadness turns to contempt. “Have a good day, dear.”

I nod and as soon as the doors close, I slump against the wall.

Fuck.

I lift my necklace out from under my sweater and open the gold locket, the tiny white SIM card sits safely inside. Still there….

I snap it shut and tuck it back out of sight as the doors open, I walk into the foyer.

“Hello, Anna.”

“Good morning, Marco,” I reply. “Thanks for collecting me.”

“It’s always my pleasure. The gym this morning?”

“Yes please.” I follow him out to the waiting black SUV and as he opens the back door I glance up to the window in my apartment to see Valentino standing there watching us, I give him a wave, but he turns and walks away.

Did he see me wave…or does he know?

VALENTINO

I lean back on my office chair as I hold the phone to my ear. Ring, ring…. Ring, ring.

“Hey, boss.”

“Marco. Where is Anna?”

“In the gym. She’s doing a Pilates class, should be finished in around half an hour.”

“I see.” I roll my lips. “Tell me…did you make any stops on the way to the gym?”

“We did actually. She needed to call into her office to pick up something.”

I fucking knew it.

“Really?” My stomach drops. “Her office.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“How long was she in her office for?” I ask.