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Then Massimo had sprung the third surprise. He’d said there would be a car waiting for me in London and that it would take me to a flat where I could live until I found one of my own. That… I had vehemently refused. No way, was I going to stay in a place owned by my husband. Not after what he’d done to me. Asshole.
If he thinks he can still try to control my life…even when he’s not in it, he has another think coming. Why would he do that anyway, though? He’s the one who wanted me out of his life, so why is he now concerned about me, huh?
I had been firm on that point and Massimo had finally given up. He’d left and I had boarded the plane. I’d turned down the prosecco the stewardess had brought me, and instead, turned to vodka… It had seemed like a drink I could drown myself in. I had managed to down a couple, then taken a brief nap on the short flight to London, where I had disembarked and walked out of the airport…
And that’s when the enormity of what I had done…of what lay ahead of me had hit me. I’d wondered, then, if I should have accepted that offer of a car ride and an apartment to rent, but no… I’d made the right choice. If I had ended up in an apartment that he owned, then I would have never been able to meet my own gaze in the mirror again, if I’m being honest.
Which is how I’d come to stay at the Four Seasons. I’d woken up this morning and spent the day finding a flat for myself and Andy. I could have phoned my sister and gone over and met her... Only, I’m not ready.
Damn it. At some point, I am going to have to call her... But not today. I still need some time to come to grips with everything that happened. Also, in all honesty, I can’t bear to tell her that I’ve been married, lost a child, and separated from my husband, all in the matter of a month.
I swallow down another sip of wine, ignore the man who’s still glancing at me from the corner of his eye. Maybe it had been a bad choice to come down to the bar on my own, but I couldn’t stay in the room for another night on my own. Good thing I am moving out the day after Christmas though. I had managed to not only find a flat, but with the money I had accepted from Massimo, I had also paid an advance to secure the place for the next three months. At least, it gives me enough time to figure out what I want to do next, you know?
I place my half-filled drink on the bar counter, then leave. I take the elevator up to my room and use my keycard to open the door. Andy greets me with a loud purring. I sink down to my knees to pet him, and that’s when my phone rings.
12
Karma
"Aurora?" I stare at the woman whose face appears on the screen.
"Karma!" She smiles. "How are you? Where are you?"
"I’m in London."
"London?" She frowns. "What are you doing there?"
"This is my home, you know?" I retort. "More to the point, how did you get to a phone?"
"Ah," she glances to the side, then back at me, "the phone is Christian’s."
"Christian’s, huh?" I tilt my head, "Are you and he—"
"No," she says, horrified, "of course, not. He, ah, came by to check how I was doing—"
"Did he now?" I smirk.
She scowls. "It’s not like that. He just wants to be sure I don’t escape or anything. He’s responsible for me."
"Responsible for you?"
"I mean, he’s taken charge of me. I mean…" She throws up her hands, "You’re twisting my words all around the wrong way, and I wasn’t calling about me, I was calling to find out how you are."
"I am fine," I sink down onto a chair near the window and Andy jumps onto my lap. He meows, I pat him, and he stretches up to try and peer into the phone. Funny cat. He purrs at the screen.
Aurora laughs. "Hey, Andy," she calls to him, and he blinks at the screen. "Whatcha doin’, boy?" she coos.
I blink, "I thought you'd speak to him in Italian."
"Well, he's your cat," she pushes out her chin in a very Italian gesture, "so I see him as English."
Andy yawns, then leaps down onto the floor and flounces away.
"Guess he isn’t impressed by our discussion," Aurora chuckles.
"At least, he travelled well. I thought he’d have trouble on the flight, but nope. We strapped his pet carrier to a seat for takeoff and landing and he was fine. He’s also not had any problem adjusting to his new surroundings."
"And you?" She peruses my features, "How are you?"
