Page 290 of Valentino

“Honestly—” I roll my eyes, “—I don’t know what I was thinking coming here. My apologies for wasting your time.” I stand.

“It’s not going to go away.”

“What?” I turn back to him,

“You have something unfinished and your brain is looping.”

“Looping?”

“Your mind is going over the same thing, trying to rewrite it.”

I stare at him for a moment, trying to understand what this means. “How do I stop it?”

“You rewrite the ending.”

“How?”

“You go over it and break it down, address anything in there that isn’t finalized.”

“Of what?”

“Of your nightmare.”

“I don’t even want to have this stupid nightmare when I’m asleep, why would I want to revisit it when I’m awake?” I snap.

This guy is a fuckwit.

“Don’t shoot the messenger.” He holds his hands up. “If you want the nightmares to stop. You need to address the underlying cause.”

I frown as his words roll around in my head.

“Finish whatever isn’t resolved,” he replies.

Carlo.

“So can I have some sleeping tablets?” I ask.

“No. Go to a doctor.”

“Thanks for nothing.” I sigh.

“You’re welcome.”

I march out into the store to find Giuliano and Romeo waiting for me by the door. “Let’s go,” I snap as I walk past them.

“What are we doing in here?” Giuliano asks.

“He’s got a rash.”

“I do not have a fucking rash,” I snap as we walk out onto the street. “I was after sleeping tablets.”

Amusement flashes across their faces as they glance at each other. “You know, we know a guy. Right?”

I look at them deadpan.

“He’s got uppers, he’s got downers, he’s got anything you need.”

“Shut the fuck up,” I whisper angrily. “I’m not taking that shit.”