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Our relationship practically started in a helicopter like this one. And as we descend to a helipad on a yacht somewhere in the Mediterranean sea, I’m pretty sure it might end with a helicopter ride.
I need to find the courage to leave. To figure out my life without him, because my life with him is nowhere close to what I deserve. I can’t live in this state of conflict and confusion.
We land, and a stunning couple waits for us. I recognize them from the wedding photo in Gio’s library.
“Mila, this is Nora Flemming, a smart woman who lost her wits at one point and married this fucker here.” Gio punches his friend’s arm.
He only raises his eyebrow and then smiles at me. “Conrad Hermann. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Mila. Let me extend my condolences.”
I blink, my hand unmoving in his.
“Well, you’re marrying him.” Conrad shrugs.
“Play nicely, boys.” Nora chuckles and pulls me along with her. “Dinner is almost ready. Come help me finish the salad. I’ll give you a tour later.”
I have never been on a yacht, but I’m so riled up from the argument and the flight that I barely take in the luxurious surroundings.
The sea glimmers around us and the sun is rolling on the horizon, slowly setting into the water.
“Do you spend your vacation here?” I try to summon my brain and carry a conversation. Nora seems like a nice person, and I don’t want to mope around her.
“You can say that. We’ve been living here for two months now. Conrad is off-loading his business assets, and we’re planning to live a less stressful life.”
We enter a kitchen that could probably cater to a mid-sized restaurant, and Nora pushes a cutting board and a bowl of tomatoes to me. I get to work, appreciating that she doesn’t have help and makes dinner herself.
“What do you mean?”
“He’s been working too much, so I finally made him choose. Me or work?” She shrugs, her white teeth shining through her smile.
I’m irrationally jealous of her. Not for her looks or her riches, but because she got her man to see what matters more than constant work.
“That’s not a concept Gio would ever contemplate.” I shake my head and chop the tomatoes, sliding them from the board to a large bowl.
Nora pours olive oil and balsamic into a small dish and starts whisking it with several other ingredients, preparing the dressing.
“I wouldn’t be so sure. It took me a while to get Conrad to take a week off, but slowly he started appreciating the benefits of a more relaxed lifestyle. The way Gio looks at you, my dear, I’m sure he can’t concentrate when you’re around.” She winks.
“It’s not like that between us.”
“Nonsense. Gio Cassinetti is a proud man who sealed his heart after Kimberly, but you’re the first woman who is thawing it slowly. That’s Conrad’s opinion. I only saw his lingering gaze on you when you arrived and the way he moved around you, and I agree.”
I want to believe her so much. “Things are not always what they look like.”
She chuckles. “That’s Gio’s motto after that wench took all his pride and faith in love away. I can’t believe we never saw it coming. I introduced him to the conniving bitch.”
“What happened?” I can’t help asking. Whoever Kimberly was, is she the answer to Gio’s locked heart?
Nora gasps. “You didn’t know about her? Oh my God, it’s not my story to tell.”
“Too late for that,” I deadpan.
Nora leans down and opens a cabinet. She takes out a bottle of wine and gets two glasses from another cabinet.
“Where is my hospitality?” She giggles and pours us both to the brim. “He should have told you, anyway.”
She pushes one glass to me and takes a generous sip from hers. “Kimberly was Gio’s fiancée several years ago. He worked a lot. In the meantime, Kimberly was screwing every male alive, including the pool boy. She was such a cliche.” With her finger, Nora draws circles around the edge of her glass.
“She wanted Gio for his money and influence. When he found out, he swore off women and started dating bimbos with as little personality as possible. At least with them, he was sure they were gold diggers from the start, and he could protect himself.”
