Page 271 of Valentino

“Oh no.” She sighs. “I’m so sorry. It must have been awful for you.”

Not at all.

I have to break her into the idea, soften the blow so to speak.

“Well….” I widen my eyes as I try to think on my feet. “He seems to have changed.”

“Please.” She sighs. “He’ll never change. Let’s hope he goes to prison soon.”

“Mom.” I act offended. “Don’t say that.”

“My God, Anna, stop being so nice all the time. Have you forgotten that the last time you saw him was when he shot someone in your bathroom?”

I press my lips together as I listen, that’s true…. He did do that, didn’t he?

“And while you were heartbroken and cried every day, he completely ghosted you. Didn’t even help you get your bathroom cleaned from all the blood he caused.”

Another truth….

“He was defending me from an intruder, Mom.”

“Well, you and I remember it very differently,” she scoffs. “He ruined everything, Anna, and it’s taken years for you to recover. You left Milan and never came back.”

I stare at the wall, that’s right, I did do that, didn’t I?

So many horrible truths all lined up in a row.

“Anyway,” she continues, “let’s talk about something more interesting than that criminal.”

Fuck.

This could be an actual disaster, I want to go to Milan with Val tonight, but how can I do that if my parents don’t even know I’m seeing him yet? What if I accidentally run into them while we’re are out together? Imagine bumping into them and we are caught holding hands or something…. My mother would go ballistic.

Shit.

Why did I tell them everything back then…. So stupid.

Too much information was shared at a critical moment of weakness, and it’s coming back to haunt me.

And now if I defend him it’s going to look like I’m being delusional…wait.

Am I being delusional?

She goes on and on and on while I sit and listen, well, I’m just pretending to listen as I try to work out a damage control plan. Something foolproof that will make her fall head over heels with him like she did the first time they met. I need my parents to be just as in love with him as I am.

Ugh…impossible, nobody could love him more than I do.

11 a.m.

“Just this way,” I hear Hernan, my boss, tell someone as they walk through the office, I hear muffled voices, he’s giving someone the tour.

Knock, knock sounds at my door. “Anna, you have a visitor.”

I glance up and lock eyes with the last person on earth that I want to see.

Oh no.

“Hello.” I stand.