Page 103 of The Taste of Deceit

I kill the engine and finally force myself out of the car. The house is silent when I step inside.

“Sarah?”

Nothing.

I close the door behind me and head deeper into the villa, following the faint sound of running water. It leads me to our bathroom.

The door is open.

Sarah stands at the sink with both hands braced against the marble countertop. The faucet is running, but she isn’t doing anything except staring at her reflection. Mascara streaks beneath her eyes, and she splashes another handful of cold water onto her face before gripping the edge of the counter again.

I stop in the doorway.

“Baby Girl.”

She doesn’t turn around.

“I can’t do this.”

The words are so quiet I almost don’t hear them. I take a cautious step into the room.

“You don’t have to do anything right now.”

She laughs bitterly, shaking her head.

“That’s the problem.”

She finally looks at me in the mirror. Another tear slips down her cheek.

“If Katie never speaks to me again...” Her voice cracks. “That’s because of me.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

She turns to face me.

“She trusted me more than anyone, Luca.”

Her chin trembles.

“And I broke her heart.”

She stares at me for another second, her chin trembling as she tries to hold herself together. I watch her fight it, and I know she’s losing. A sob tears out of her so hard her knees buckle.

I catch her before she can hit the floor, pulling her against my chest. She clings to me, her fingers twisting in the front of my shirt as the sobs come one after another. She can’t catch her breath. Every time she tries to speak, another sob steals the words from her.

“She hates me,” she cries.

“No, Baby Girl.”

“She does.”

She shakes her head against my chest.

“She looked at me like she didn’t even know me.”

Another sob breaks through her. Her whole body shakes, and I tighten my arms around her.