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“But where are your thoughts?”
I shrug, snuggling my face against his chest.
He runs his fingers down my cheek, along my neck, and across my collarbone.
“You can talk about anything, you know. You don’t have to keep it all inside.”
“I know.”
But I don’t feel like talking right now. I don’t even know what I would say. I am so focused on this one thing that I don’t even feel like asking Antonio what he did today or where he went. I do care, but I also don’t. I have my own things I need to do.
He gently kisses my forehead.
“Well, I am here. Alright? For anything you need.”
That is something I deeply appreciate about him. He seems to sense whether to push me, to get me to talk, and when I just don’t need to. He seems at peace with not knowing sometimes and letting me just be near him without taking my energy or demanding my attention.
He is perfect for me. And perfect for me.
28
Antonio
Ispend the eveningwith Seraphina, lying against my chest on the enormous sofa out on the balcony. We are both quiet, lost in our own thoughts. I like that about her. I don’t always have to speak. I can think and be myself. Especially now, with reading the will come up tomorrow. I have so much to consider, so much to take in. Everything that is about to happen and my lack of knowledge about my father’s last will and testament are occupying my mind. His last wishes.
We go to bed, wrapped up in each other, but quiet and distant.
In the morning, my stomach is tense. Knotted with the unknown.
I am pacing up and down Kalo’s hotel room, waiting for him to finish getting ready. I arrived here earlier than I was supposed to, so he was not late. I just couldn’t sleep anymore, and I couldn’t wait in the penthouse. I didn’t want Seraphina to notice how agitated I am.
“If we leave now, we are going to be much too early,” Kalo calls from inside the room somewhere.
“I know. We can wait here longer or go get a coffee on the way.”
“How are you feeling?” he asks, walking into the living room area.
“I don’t know if I can answer that. I just want to be prepared for anything. I guess I just want to get this over with.”
“I understand that. You will know where you stand once this is over. Then you can decide how to move forward.”
He picks up his phone, sliding it into his pocket, then nods to let me know he is ready.
I glance around the hotel room. “Let’s go get that coffee. I need some air.”
We drive to the area close to where the lawyer’s offices are and find a coffee shop there. On the outside, to anyone observing me, I appear together. Calm, alert, and ready for anything. On the inside, I feel an undercurrent of chaos. Knowledge is power, andI won’t be able to make the right choices until I conclude this meeting.
“It’s time,” Kalo says, glancing at his wristwatch.
He gets up to settle the bill, and I wait on the street outside. Taking a few slow, intentional breaths. We walk toward the tall building together, and inside, they point us to the correct floor.
We ride the elevator in silence. In the lawyer’s reception area, they point us toward the glass boardroom. Inside, I see my family.
They glare at me as I push the door open.
“Who the fuck is this?” my uncle snaps, glaring at Kalo.
“This is a close friend and business partner,” I say.
