“Sucks to not be a part of the elite,” Sully jests in a playful tone. “When’s Zo-Zo coming back?”
“Enzo returns on Sunday,” Sly says, giving Sully a pointed look.
Sully sighs dramatically. “It’s not the same without him here.”
These men make up the weirdest friend group I’ve ever seen.
A weighted pause fills the air as we keep eating our dinners. Guiding a bite into my mouth, I steal a glance at Luciano. He’s staring down into his lap, presumably on his phone.
Unabashedly, I watch him. A small smile pulls at the corner of his mouth—is he talking to someone? A woman?
A spike of jealousy stabs my heart. My mind starts to spiral when it has no right to.
“Raina?” Vinnie nudges me, bumping her shoulder into mine. “Are you okay? You seem a little off tonight.”
Raising my gaze, my eyes connect with Luciano’s. “I’m fine,” I tell her confidently. “Just a little lost in thought, organizing my suitcase in my head.”
Flipping my hair over my shoulder, I turn to Cecilia. “How are you, lady? Any good news yet?”
Cecilia has been on the motherhood train for the last several months, trying to decide how she wants to have a baby of her own, sans man. She’s one of the strongest people I know, having zero fear of raising a child alone. She’s been researching adoption, artificial insemination, and even fostering, weighing all options with the entirety of her heart.
An absolute saint, this woman.
A small smile touches her lips before she shakes her head and looks down into her lap. “No, not yet. I still haven’t decided between adoption or using a sperm donor.”
“You will,” I say affectionately, squeezing her arm. My phone vibrates again, and suddenly an intense sensation sits heavy on my chest. I’m unexplainably overwhelmed, triggered by the incoming message and the guilt I have from lying to everyone I love.
“Excuse me,” I whisper to no one in particular, pushing my chair back as I stand. Rushing from the room, I speed walk down the hallway and lock myself in the confines of the bathroom.
Tears prick my eyes as my thoughts flash with the reality I’m about to walk into the moment I touch down in Spain.
Javier, desperate for me to pretend to be his doting, loving wife.
Luciano—and his judgment and pity—pretendingto be my fiancé when he’s never even considered me a friend.
What have I done? Why have I agreed to this madness?
Turning the faucet to cold, I splash water on my face, not caring if it smears my makeup. I pinch the bridge of my nose, letting my eyes shut as the sound of the water running soothes my wild mind.
Behind the door, I hear dishes clanging as the table gets cleared, signaling dinner is over.
Typically, some of us will hang out for a while after, but I’m already planning my escape.
With a deep exhale, I shut the water off and look at myself in the mirror, using both pointer fingers to wipe under my eyes and smooth out any blemishes before opening the door.
A small jolt hits me as I come face to face with Luciano, who’s leaning against the doorframe as though he knew the exact moment I’d make my exit. “What are you doing here?” I ask in a monotone voice, feigning boredom as he gently pushes his hand against my stomach so I’m forced to step back into the bathroom.
Following me in, he closes the door behind us. “Attempting to get some answers.”
“By holding me hostage in the bathroom?”
“You weren’t answering my messages.”
“I answered enough. You aren’t coming with me to Spain, Luciano.” Defiantly, I rest my hands on my hips.
“Like hell I’m not,” he growls, taking another step into my space. “I don’t trust that guy.”
Tilting my head up to look at him better, I roll my eyes. “It doesn’t matter if you don’t trust him. I hired you to be my lawyer. Nothing more. Your job is to handle my divorce as efficiently and quietly as possible, not try to be my knight in shining armor.”
