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Rosalie's face goes ashen white. "Isabella," she whispers, a dreadful expression of horror on her face. "Your father hated Luca Conti. Whoever told you Conti was your friend?"
In this very instant, I should panic and run; beg for aid. Instead, a strange sense of relief washes over me. All those months of doubt, of knowing Conti has no interest in protecting me, are validated.
I give Rosalie a smile and whisper. "I knew it."
Rosalie shakes her head, too shocked to ask for more information. And I? While validated, I've seen far too much to just trust anyone who wanders into my life.
"Rosalie, how do I know I can trust you?"
She gazes at me intently, her eyes searching mine for any hint of doubt. "Isabella, I know it's hard to let your guard down, but I promise you, I'm on your side."
"How do I know?"
"For I was once in your shoes too."
Rosalie takes a deep breath and begins to share her story. A tale of loneliness and escape, of the crushing weight of family expectations and the desire to break free from the chains that bound her.
As I listen intently, I can't help but see parallels between our lives – two women struggling to find their place in a world filled with lies and betrayal. Her story resonates deep within my soul, stirring emotions I've long kept buried.
"My father, when I refused to marry a corrupt, power-hungry man of his choosing, chased after me when I escaped. I had to take a different name, a different identity. I was all alone in the world, betrayed often by people who I thought I could trust. That was, until I met Felix." She smiles.
"You see, Isabella. Felix was the one person I thought I could never trust, for he was my father's sworn enemy. But when seeming friends turned foe, and seeming foe turned lover, I realized that I would never be able to understand whom to place my faith and trust in, until I learn to trust myself. So there, instead of asking me how you can trust me, Isabella, do you trust yourself?"
I sit there, stunned, forced to look within. As Rosalie's kind eyes search my face for my answer, I am compelled to trust her. From the little time I've spent with her, I've assessed two things.
Rosalie Battaglia Carlisi and her husband are not cowards. They stood right in front of their assassin and declared their innocence. Second, when Rosalie should have run, she came to talk to me.
Instead of hiding, she reached out to a woman she believed needed help, the way she did, once upon a time.
"I trust you," I declare firmly, looking her straight in the eye. "And myself."
"Good," she claps her hand twice. She extends a hand to me. "Come with me, please. I will do everything to protect Diego Torres's daughter. My husband and I, we'll introduce you to your father's friends. We'll get you back to Mexico. Together we'll unravel whatever secrets you're trying to unravel by yourself."
For a brief second, I'm tempted to just run with her. They're powerful people. They can get me a new passport, a flight back, an army.
But my father's face comes to mind, and with that Luca Conti's and Juan's. Those two betrayed me. Juan betrayed my father.
I want revenge, and I want it doled out by my hands.
For now, my plan is working. Staying close to Conti's affairs has helped me uncover things he wishes would remained hidden. Given that, I can’t run now.
"Rosalie," I mutter. "Thank you, truly. For coming here, for telling me all you know, for offering me help. I cannot express how much that means to me. Knowing my father was not involved with a criminal like Conti as my cousin would have me believe. Your words have lifted a stone from my heart.”
“But I'm not leaving. I'm trusting myself to learn what I need to learn. There's a woman, Clara, in Mexico, who is loyal to me. She may reach out to you if I need aid.”
Rosalie looks disappointed, but nods her head. "All the best, Isabella," she hugs me, and on a parting note she adds, "remember, the Carlisi family and I are loyal to you. Any hint of trouble, reach out, okay?"
"You stay safe too. Hide, until this mess is over. Conti doesn’t forget easily."
She nods and turns on her heels, surveying the lobby before rushing out and entering the car parked right outside.
I, on the other hand, wonder if I’ve just made the biggest mistake of my life by not taking her up on her offer to rescue me.
I walk back to my room, the weight of uncertainty dragging slow my steps. Darkness envelops the room as I slip back in, careful not to disturb Stefano's slumber.
"Trust yourself first," Rosalie's words a haunting echo in my mind.
I pick up the burner phone and go to the bathroom. I call Clara.
