AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Something told me, as soon as I said it, that I would not see Vincenzo for a long time.
* * *
My gaze slid upwardto the high ceiling as I stood alone in the vast room between the two wings and the terrace, somehow connecting all parts of the house.
The sun did not penetrate through the thick walls and windows, except for the transition to the garden area.
I looked in the direction Vincenzo had disappeared and turned toward the other, for his instructions had been clear.
I wondered if I should spend my time here alone until he found a new, suitable house for me. If he found one.
I had no problem being alone but I also hadn't lived in the same house as someone who avoided my presence.
Before I set off in search of my bedroom, I threw caution to the wind. What was the point of tiptoeing around the villa if he wasn't interested in what I was doing anyway?
I followed a hallway that ended in a staircase that led upstairs. There were a few more rooms downstairs, but they were the kitchen, the living room, and what had looked like an office through the open door.
Once upstairs, everything already seemed brighter. Several doors led off the long corridor. I suspected Vincenzo didn't usually use this part of the house because, at first impression, everything seemed clean, but if you looked more closely, you discovered the cobwebs in the corners and the streaks on the windows.
I pushed open the first door and faced a bathroom with a claw-foot tub. Fresh towels were piled up on a small cabinet, as was a shopping bag with the label of a drugstore.
Curious, I looked inside and realized that the person who had done the shopping had a pretty good idea of what I did and didn't need. Even toiletries had made it into the bag. A whole selection of them.
I raised my eyebrow and emptied the contents. Soap, in various scents. Shampoo. Conditioner. A toothbrush and toothpaste. Mouthwash. Sunscreen. Body lotion. Bath salts. I could have continued the list endlessly because half the drugstore's product range had been purchased.
I wondered if Vincenzo had taken care of it himself for a brief moment. Then I remembered who he was and realized he had probably sent one of the family's employees to spare himself the unnecessary stress.
I didn't tidy up before moving on to the next room and ending up in the bedroom. It was spacious and furnished in a reasonably modern way. There were light sheets on the bed, the curtains were made of thick, dark fabric, and the view from the windows was of the valley, not the mountains behind the house.
Here, too, I found some shopping bags, but this time from a clothing store. I recognized the brand and instinctively guessed that Emilio must have taken care of it. In the very beginning, shortly after I had asked him for help, he had taken me shopping and, since then, I never went anywhere else. After me, he had probably changed the protocols in this regard because I knew he shopped strictly online for Flavia.
A phone call had probably been enough for the lovely ladies there to provide a complete selection of outfits, which all fit me both in size and style. After all, they had provided my clothes for the last few years.
Shoes were also among the new acquisitions.
I wondered if my father had told him that he had provided me with only the bare necessities for my short stay with him. Or had Vincenzo simply assumed that because my home had burned down?
I decided to put things away in the closet later and instead went to the nightstand to place the ring on it. It was simply too flashy and unwieldy to wear all day. Besides, it didn't matter, so there was no reason to wear it daily.
The sapphire sparkled in the sunlight streaming through the window. How long would it be before I was free? Living in my own four walls again? Maybe I should try to find a suitable property myself?
Hadn't he mentioned something about replacing my equipment as well? I looked around the room, spotted another door, and pushed it open, only to pause.
Countless lights flashed. I could hardly believe my eyes. This was more than I had owned before. More modern. More powerful.
I opened my mouth, expelled the air, and closed it again. Before changing my mind, I pulled the chair out from under the colossal desk and dropped into it. With a click of the mouse, I brought the computer to life. Several screens flared up, showing me it had not yet been fully set up.
Everything else around me was forgotten as soon as I started working on the basic settings. I forgot I was still wearing the wedding dress and had actually wanted to change. I also forgot that there was still a lot to discover, my stomach growled, and I had a lot to do before I could even feel halfway comfortable.
None of that was relevant anymore, as I dived entirely into the digital world, setting some reminders to specific keywords so I didn't miss any houses listed from today on.
I also mulled over doing a background check on Vincenzo now that I had the opportunity but ultimately decided against it. Maybe he would tell me everything I wanted to know on his own?
Well, I could hardly ask him if he had actually killed his wife. But I wouldn't find that out if I searched the Internet and the dark web for information. In the end, only a few people knew, and Google was certainly not one of them.
I made a mental note that I needed to thank him. Not only for the set-up but also because he deceived my father and apparently wanted to make sure I could return to my old life.
5
