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With that thought, a wave of nausea hits me. I’m going to need to make an appointment with my gynecologist as soon as possible. I could have a disease now, something I thought that I would never have to worry about.
I stare at my reflection in the mirror by the nightstand, my face drawn and pale. If I have to lie to everyone, I have to become good at it, great even. I have to play the part of a sad widow, not of a betrayed woman. I get up and grab my make up, redoing my face until I look polished and perfect. My lashes are long and black, my dark eyebrows thick and perfectly aligned above my eyes. I gave myself a smoky look with my eyeshadow and reapplied my red lipstick.
I brush through my hair, making sure every strand is silky and straight. I look pretty great, but I still don’t feel it. I need to feel confident and powerful. I need to feel like a damn good liar, one that people believe. I need to be better than Nico and Luis combined.
I need my red dress.
I grab my red dress from one of my bags, stepping out of my gray one and into the tight new number that hugs my body perfectly. The slit goes up my thigh and I feel powerful every time I wear it. I’ll need all the confidence I can get tonight, if I want people to believe me.
I need to harness this power and keep it forever. It’s the only way that I can move forward.
ChapterEight
Scarlett
I make my way to the dining room with a glass of Chianti already in hand.
I can hear laughter growing as I near the door, the long, ornate table completely set underneath the glittering chandeliers. I designed this room from scratch, the red, velvet chairs matching the running, lace tablecloth. I guess you could say it’s my favorite color.
“Scar! Glad you could finally join us. I somehow traveled further than you did, yet we’ve been waiting for nearly an hour.” Sofia says with a sarcastic smile, her eyes sparkling as she rests her chin on her hand.
I roll my eyes at her, walking fully into the dining room now and freezing when I see Nico chatting with Antonio at the end of the table, dressed in a black, designer suit. Antonio looks up and grins at me, his hazel eyes shrinking as he smiles. He’s had a hair cut recently, the dark brown buzz cut different since I last saw him a week ago. I didn’t have time to find him at the funeral, considering I was hiding in the bathroom listening to Nico fuck one of the waitresses.
“Hey, Antonio.” I say with a tight smile, walking around the table to sit next to Sofia.
“Where did you go earlier?” I ask her and she shrugs at me while sipping from her glass of wine.
“Had to meet some of the nurses I’ll be working with during my residency.” she says, her voice tinged with a tightness that I’ve mastered detecting.
“How were they?” I ask, setting down my wineglass and Camila walks in with a tray of steaming food.
“Ah, the usual snobby white women. Pissed that a young Latina is going to be their new doctor.” She winks at me and I feel the air shift as Antonio scoots closer to me, his hand gently brushing my thigh from beneath the table.
“How are you, Scarlett?” he asks, his New York accent barely present, but always present when he speaks to me.
Antonio has always been a strict, professional man. I guess that is what’s expected when you’re ex-military. However, when he’s near me, it’s almost like I get to see a part of him that no one else does. A soft part, a carefree part. Perhaps it’s the real him.
“As good as I can be.” I say, looking into his hazel eyes as Camila serves the seafood paella that she prepared, the smell of clams and spices making my stomach growl.
Antonio looks down at my stomach, a small, disapproving expression crossing his face. The man may have a gorgeous face, but his body is even more intense. He’s nearly two hundred and fifty pounds of solid muscle. And he’s constantly reminded me that I need to eat more, and offered for me to eat with him during his six meals a day so that he could fatten me up. I used to laugh, but now, I just feel sad for some reason. Maybe because he knows that I’m feeling lost and I can’t really tell him the truth as to why.
Camila takes her seat across from us, offering refills of wine as we all start to eat. I take a few bites of the rice, opening the clams and devouring those too before I toss back the rest of my Chianti, a smile on Antonio’s face as he eats his meal.
“Good girl.” he whispers and I know that most women would drop their panties to hear him say that to them, but I feel nothing.
With him, all I’ve ever felt is friendship.
“How have you been? I heard both the store and the country club are doing well under your watch. We’ve had twenty new memberships just this month.” I say, dabbing my mouth as I lean back in my chair while Camila pours me a new glass of wine.
“And over two million in jewelry sales. Surely, you haven’t forgotten that. Since you’re the accountant.” Nico says from the end of the table, his leg crossed over the other as he rests in my red velvet dining chair.
I stare into his dark inscrutable eyes. His hands look massive as he holds his glass of bourbon, his platinum watch gleaming under the light of the chandelier. I narrow my eyes at him, grabbing my wine and taking one long sip before Sofia redirects my attention.
“Mama says we’re having the celebration of life at the club and not here?” she asks, my eyes snapping to hers as a dark chuckle leaves Nico’s lips.
“Yeah, I didn’t really want the house to be filled with people. Not so soon. I’m finding I like it best when it’s quiet. More time to process.” I say, a bit of tightness in my voice because my words were really meant for Nico and not her.
“Are you sure?” Sofia asks, her soft eyes looking into mine. “I figured maybe you would like the company, some positivity perhaps.”
