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“But you said you didn’t even miss your family,” he says.
My breath gets caught in my throat for a moment. “I know,” I force myself to say. “But they need me.”
“Even if your mom doesn’t deserve your help?”
“What did you say?” That’s from Emilia. “Why would you say that?” She storms down the stairs and pokes Leo in the chest. “My mom deserves help. Her son could be dead!”
Leo crosses his arms, an annoyed expression on his face. “Have you ever asked your sister how your mom has made her feel?”
“I know she’s made Fran feel invisible, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t deserve help.”
“Oh, yeah?” A challenging look crosses Leo’s eyes. “What about the time she blamed Fran for your father’s death?”
Emilia flinches back. “What are you talking about?” She turns to me. “What is he talking about?”
“Nothing,” I whisper. “Let’s just go.”
Emilia nods, gives Leo one last glare, then heads upstairs to pack. I join her.
“What did he mean?” she asks as she grabs her suitcase out of the closet. “Did Mom really do that?”
“Yes.”
“Why did you never tell me?” She pulls me into a hug. “I would have been there for you.”
“I know. I just didn’t know how to talk to you about it. I still don’t.”
Emilia gives me an exasperated look before throwing clothes into her suitcase. “You can talk to me, Fran. You know that.”
“It’s just hard sometimes when I feel like you judge me.”
She stops. “When have I ever judged you?”
“With Leo.”
She opens her mouth to speak, then firmly plants it shut. “Fine. Maybe I did. But see? He hurt you. I said he would.”
“I know.” I cross my arms and duck my head, unable to take her looking at me. “Can we just go?”
“Don’t you need to pack?”
“I can’t go back to Leo’s. Not right now.”
“Ok.” She sighs deeply, zipping up her suitcase. “You can borrow some of mine. We can use Marco’s private jet to go to New York. Let’s go home.”
* * *
The flightback to New York is full of silence. Both Emilia and I are stuck in our own heads, and besides, I don’t really feel like talking. Too much has happened tonight, and all in the span of a few minutes. I know I need to deal with Leo, but I don’t even know what to say to him. How could he do that to me? How could he not tell me?
I was really beginning to trust Leo, and now all of that is dashed. And I don’t think we can ever recover. How can I forgive the man who tried seducing me for a bet? But I’m married to him, and there’s no getting away from that.
We land in New York after a few hours. The snowy city is windy today, and my hair keeps flying in my face, making it hard to see as we walk to the taxi. Emilia is struggling to walk in this weather, but she perseveres. I hope I can be as strong as her someday.
It takes about an hour for us to reach our house. The snow and traffic keep us backed up for a while. But once we reach our childhood home, all the memories I’ve had of my mom come flooding back. Will she even want me here?
Emilia knocks on the door, and Mom answers. She’s a ragged mess, with hair going off in different directions and dark circles under her eyes. “Emilia?” She cries out as she hugs her. “What are you doing here? Come in. It’s cold out.” She ushers us inside.
“We’re here to help you with Antonio.”
