Sani covered his mouth with his hand and looked away into the distance, fighting back his emotions.
“I understand, but you’re not alone. I’m here on the phone with you. Why don’t you go back to bed and get some rest?”
“Okay,” she agreed, and I could hear her moving. “Will you tell him I love him and not to stay out too late? I worry.”
“Of course,” I choked, then pressed my lips together. “Would you like me to stay on the phone with you for a while?”
“No, no.” She yawned. “I’ll go to sleep. It’s late. Thank you for calling.”
“You’re welcome. Goodnight, Cecilia.”
I hung up the phone, and Santino stared at me with an unreadable expression. I couldn’t tell whether he was angry, shocked, or completely and utterly devastated.
“I’m sorry if I overstepped—”
“How did you know to do that?”
I placed his phone back on the table. “I’ve seen many dementia patients at work, and one thing I always remember the doctors telling us is that if they are trapped in the past, their brain can’t access the present. Forcing it on them only causes more distress and escalation. They need to feel emotionally safe. You have to meet them where they are, rather than where you want them to be.”
He swallowed, staring at me, then swore, running a hand down his face. “I don’t know how to handle this, Aria. She thought I was mypapi.Going along with it felt cruel.”
I put my hand on his thigh and squeezed. “I can’t imagine how hard this is. But don’t see it as lying to her; you’re just protecting her nervous system and giving her a sense of security until it fades naturally.”
He rubbed his eyes with his fingers and placed his other hand over mine, gripping it against his thigh. “I hate how helpless it makes me feel. Thank you, though, for doing that. You calmed her down so quickly.”
I wanted to reach for him, to run my hand along his cheek and comfort him. I wanted to kiss him and make him forget the pain he was burdened with. He looked so damn human. So vulnerable. Regardless of who he was or what he did, this was the real him, the person who loved his family and hated seeing them hurt.
His phone rang again, Raya’s name flashing on the screen. “I’d better take this. Raya was upset when she called.Mammadidn’t recognise her and was screaming at her to get out of the house. Gio and Liv were out at an event, so she’s home alone with the nurse myMammahates.”
I let go of his leg and stood up. “I’ll go to the bar and get another drink. Give you some privacy to talk to her.”
“You don’t have to.”
“I think your sister would prefer it.” Soraya didn’t seem the type to open up to strangers, and if she knew I was sitting beside him, she might have held back when she needed to talk. He nodded, and I gave him a small smile. I was about to walk away when he grabbed my hand, halting me.
“Hey. Thank you,” he whispered, then turned my wrist and kissed the inside. My heart lurched, and a swarm of butterflies charged through my stomach. He let go and answered the call.
I stood at the bar, waiting for the server to notice me, and let out a deep breath to shake off the intense feelings. They felt new, unfamiliar, and absolutely terrifying. The reality was, I cared about him. I couldn’t pretend it was merely sexual chemistry or physical attraction anymore. It was more. I liked him. A lot. More than I’d liked any man, possibly ever.
“Aria?”
My head whipped to the left, and my mouth dropped open when I saw the last person I expected to see. In fact, I’d hoped I’d never see his face again. My most recent ex-boyfriend, from three weeks ago, had just strolled past me with his arm slung over some leggy blonde’s shoulders.
“Orlando.” I gave him a curt greeting, then turned back to the bar, praying the bartender would come my way and save me from having to make small talk with the cheating bastard.
“How are you? You look amazing.” His brown eyes ran down my dress in a way I used to appreciate, but now it made my veins heat with fire because the last time I saw him, he’d tried to gaslight me into believing the red thong I’d found between his sofa cushions was mine. I briefly wondered whether this was the girl it belonged to, but I found I really didn’t care. His obvious ogling didn’t go unnoticed by her, and she scowled at me as if I were the one in the wrong.
“Let’s not do this, Orlando. Have a good night.”
He dropped his arm from his date and told her he’d meet her outside. I rolled my eyes as he came to stand beside me.
“Aria, come on. Don’t be like that. I tried calling you so many times.”
“I blocked your number. So if it still isn’t clear enough, please fuck off.”
He smiled, leaning an elbow on the bar, devouring me with his eyes. “I miss you. Why don’t I ditch my date and we get a drink and talk—”
Orlando’s words were silenced by the enormous arm that slid around my waist, pulling me possessively into a solid wall of muscle. I glanced up at Santino’s face, his jaw clenched, eyes burning, and nostrils flaring.
