Page 327 of Valentino

“Hey.” He grabs me. “I love you.”

No.

You don’t.

“Call me from the airport?” he asks.

I stare straight ahead, I can’t even act anymore.

“Please…look after her,” he tells the boys softly. “This is…a very hard time.”

“We will,” they assure him.

“I’ll walk you downstairs, babe.” We get into the elevator and I stare at the wall.

Valentino takes me into his arms as they pack the car.

“Tell me you love me?” he whispers.

“I love you.” My eyes hold his.

“It’s all going to work out,” he tries to reassure me.

“I know.”

“Anna. I need you to be okay with this.”

“Okay,” I murmur as my heart melts into a caustic puddle. “Goodbye, Valentino.”

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

We kiss, and our faces screw up against each other’s.

He knows it too.

He can sense everything that’s happening in my heart, because it beats in time with his…and unfortunately as of right now, mine has stopped.

This is the worst goodbye we ever had so far.

Because we both know it’s final.

I get into the car, he closes the door behind me, and I put my fingers on the glass, through tears I watch him disappear into the distance.

I will always love him.

But the time has come, I know what I have to do.

The car pulls into the Milan international airport, I look up, surprised. “We’re flying commercial?”

“We couldn’t get runway approval this morning for the jet,” Luigi replies casually. “We’ve got the entire first-class section on the flight booked.”

“Okay.”

The airport is busy and bustling, we climb out and unload our suitcases. “Anna, this way,” Gino directs me, he’s walking in front and Luigi is behind.

“Where are the girls?” I ask.