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“What? Sorry.”
“What's on your mind? You’ve seemed out of it for the last hour.”
“I was just thinking about Teo.” Technically it wasn't a lie, but the girls smiled fondly, unaware of my concerns.
“Of course, you were,” Vittoria said with a smile. “You guys have waited and been through so much. Just think, in a day and a half you two will finally be married.”
“I know. I'm so excited.”
“Then why don't you sound it?” Mira looked at me concerned.
“I guess it's just that we've been through so much it doesn't seem like it's really going to happen.” I hadn't realized that the thought had even crossed my mind until I was looking for an excuse, but it was true. I was worried that it might not happen. But I wanted it to, more than anything. I loved Teo. I always had. I wanted to spend the rest of my life as his wife and partner.
“Well,” Vittoria started as she rose from the couch. “I've got some alterations to a wedding dress that are not going to sew themselves, so I’m off. I will see you ladies in the morning.”
My phone chimed and I pulled it out of my purse. There was a message from a blocked number.
RESTRICTED: Seems the future don is hard at work tonight. [Image 1 Attachment]
I clicked to open the attached image, curious at what it might be. I thought perhaps Teo was out having a drink with the guys. But I never expected to see a picture of him sitting at a bar with a beautiful woman leaning in to whisper in his ear, her hand so lovingly draped on his arm in a comfortable, familiar pose.
I felt as if the ground might open up and swallow me whole and my stomach roiled.Could it really be that he was cheating?Just two days before our wedding after everything we had been through could I really believe that he would do that to me?
The proof is right in front of you.My brain reminded me. In truth, although I felt like I really knew Teo for my entire life, I had only known him for a few months all together. Could he really be so different from what I believed?
“Since Teo isn't going to be joining you for dinner, why don't we go out somewhere? French cuisine is delicious even if it's not something you would want all the time,” Courtney asked.
"I'm actually pretty worn out. I've been through a lot the past few days. I was thinking that it might be a good idea to turn in early, maybe order some room service, and just watch some television before bed.”
“Are you sure?” Courtney sounded disappointed.
“Mia's right,” Mira said. “She's been through a lot, and we don't want her to overdo it before the wedding.”
“Or before the honeymoon,” Courtney added with a playful smirk.
“Ugh,” Mira groaned. “You're talking about my brother.”
“Oh, you know it's true. We're all adults here and I'm sure that we all know what a honeymoon's for.” They laughed but my smile was hollow.
“You ladies have a good night.” I smiled and stood, offering each of them a hug before gathering my purse and heading for the door.
I couldn't get to my hotel room fast enough. I wasn't sure if I wanted to fall apart or explode with anger but neither one needed to be done in front of Mira and Courtney.
When I got to my room, I pulled out my phone again and took one more look at the photograph before dialing Teo's number. It went straight to voicemail. I tried again but it went to voicemail again.
"Teo, it's me. We need to talk. Call me as soon as you get this."
I managed to keep my voice calm, though I had no idea how, and I hung up the phone before breaking down into tears. I cried for several minutes before convincing myself that maybe it wasn't as bad as it seemed. I pulled out the picture again to see if it really had been that bad. Her perfectly manicured hands gently gripped his biceps as she leaned forward. Her face was blocked by his, but she was close enough that her lips could have been pressed against his cheek or brushing against his ear as she whispered sweet nothings or sensual fantasies in his ear.
She was dressed in an elegant little black dress with expensive heels and perfect curves.
She looked like every man's fantasy and there she was clinging to mine. And he wasn't pushing her away. He wasn't pulling back or looking uncomfortable in any way. How long had it been going on for the sender to have time to pull out their phone and take a picture? It couldn't have been one brief moment.
I no longer had an appetite so instead I stripped out of my clothes and stepped into the nearly scalding shower to let the hot water wash away days of horror along with the new nightmares that were sure to come. I cried so hard that I didn't think I would be able to breathe and slid down the shower tiles to sit on the floor as the water pummeled my body. Eventually, the water turned cold, and I began to shiver before even realizing. I pulled myself up off the tiles and turned off the water, wrapping myself in a towel, and stepping out of the shower.
I continued to cry so long that I finally ran out of tears. I no longer felt the pain of betrayal from seeing Teo with another woman. That pain was replaced by a cold numbness. I moved around my hotel room like a robot on autopilot as I dressed for bed and climbed under the covers.
I laid in bed, staring off into the darkness with no more tears to cry when a chill of loneliness began to seep in.
