I sank onto the couch while she disappeared into the kitchen.
Now that I wasn’t alone anymore, feeling crept back in.
The ache in my arms from dragging my suitcase all day. The blisters on my feet from walking in my expensive but impractical shoes. The gaping, excruciating hollow in my chest where my heart used to beat, healthy and whole.
Now, the organ lurched like a car on its last fumes, struggling to return somewhere it’d never belonged.
I blinked away the pressure mounting behind my eyes when Sloane returned with a mug and a pack of my favorite lemon butter cookies in hand.
We sat in silence for a second before she spoke. “Do I need to sharpen my knives and prepare contingency plans for a homicide charge?”
I mustered a weak laugh. “No. Nothing quite that drastic.”
“I’ll be the judge of that.” Her gaze narrowed. “What happened?”
“I…Dante and I broke up.” Another piece of my earlier numbness splintered into a painful throb.
“I gathered as much.” Sloane’s reply was matter of fact, not sarcastic. “What did the fucker do?”
“It wasn’t his fault. Not entirely.” I managed to summarize the day’s events without breaking down, but my voice cracked toward the end.
I’m sorry you got caught in the middle of this…I had to protect my family…this is just business.
Another splinter, this one large enough to knock the breath out of my lungs. The pressure behind my eyes amplified.
To Sloane’s credit, she didn’t fall into dramatics over the shocking revelations. It wasn’t her style, and it was one of the reasons I’d come to her instead of Isabella. As much as I loved Isa, she’d want to know every detail and rehash the situation ad nauseam. I didn’t have the energy or emotional bandwidth for that right now.
“Okay, so the engagement is officially off, which means we need a plan,” Sloane said crisply. “We’ll call the wedding vendors in the morning and cancel. It might be too late for a full refund, but I’m sure I can convince most, if not all, of them to issue partial reimbursements. Actually…” She pursed her lips. “Scratch that. We need to draft language for the breakup announcement first. We don’t want any of the vendors leaking to the press. The society papers will be all over this, and—”
“Sloane.” My hands strangled my mug. Every word out of her mouth ratcheted my anxiety up another notch. “Can we discuss this later? I appreciate the help, but I can’t…I can’t think about all of that right now.”
The enormity of the next few weeks overwhelmed me. I had to move the rest of my belongings out of Dante’s house, confront my father, figure out where my relationship with him went from here, cancel the wedding, and deal with the public fallout of my broken engagement. On top of all that, the Legacy Ball was in less than a week, and we were entering another busy season for events.
Cold sweat broke out on my forehead, and I forcibly dragged air through my nose to slow down my frantic heartbeat.
Sloane’s face softened.
“Right. Of course.” She cleared her throat. “Do you want me to call Isa? She’s much better at…this”—she gestured vaguely around us—“than I am.”
“Later. I just want to shower and sleep, if you don’t mind.” I stared at my tea, feeling stupid and ashamed and embarrassed and a thousand other things in between. “I’m sorry for showing up without warning like this. I just…didn’t want to be by myself tonight.”
“Vivian.” Sloane placed her hand over mine, her voice firm. “You don’t need to apologize. Stay as long as you want. My guest room wasn’t getting much use, anyway. You, Isabella, and the maintenance guy are the only people I allow in my apartment.”
“I didn’t know you had that kind of a relationship with your maintenance guy,” I half-heartedly joked. “Scandalous.”
She didn’t smile, but concern lined her brow. “Get some rest. We’ll figure everything out in the morning.”
My attempted smile collapsed. “Thank you,” I whispered.
Sloane wasn’t a hugger, but the squeeze of her hand conveyed the same sentiment.
Later that night, I lay in bed, unable to sleep despite my exhaustion.
I’d lost both my father and my fiancé in some way or another today. Two of the most important people in my life, unrecognizable or gone.
My father lied, manipulated, and used me while Dante…
I never willingly chose her.
This is just business.
The pressure behind my eyes finally exploded. The remaining pieces of numbness disintegrated, replaced with pain so sharp and intense I would’ve doubled over had I been standing.
Instead, I curled into a fetal position and gave in to the sobs wracking my body.
They crashed over me, one after another, until my throat turned raw and wetness scalded my cheeks.
But no matter how hard I cried or how much I shook, I couldn’t make a sound.
My sobs remained silent, felt but unheard.
DANTE
I took the next three days off work.
I tried to work. I really did, but I couldn’t focus. During every call, I heard Vivian’s voice. During every meeting, I saw her face.
At this point, I was a liability to the company, so I instructed Helena to cancel my meetings for the week and took the time to get my head straight.
That meant cracking open a bottle of whiskey every night, retreated to the living room, and ignoring Greta’s questions until she stormed off in flurry of curses.
Tonight was no exception.
I tipped my head and bottle back.
The liquor burned down my throat and filled my stomach, but the aching emptiness remained.
I was simply unused to Vivian’s absence after living with her for so long. It’d pass, as would my emotional attachment to her.
People broke up and moved on every day. It wasn’t anything fucking special.
I tossed back another swig. The fireplace was unlit for spring, but a hazy memory of its flames and the way their light danced across Vivian’s features filled my mind.
Are you afraid I’ll break the engagement? Run off with Heath and leave you looking like a fool in front of your friends? Why do you care?
They’re ice cream cufflinks. I know a jeweler on Rue de la Paix who makes customized pieces…
It’s not just business for you. And it’s not just duty for me.
I’m glad I came to Paris.
Pain lashed at my chest, a stinging burn.
“Maybe you can talk some sense into him.” Greta’s grumble drifted into the room from the hall. “He’s been sitting and drinking these past few days like his no-good great uncle Agostino used to do. Non mi piace parlare male dei morti, ma grazie al cielo non è più qui con noi.”
“I’ll try.” Luca’s voice gave me pause before I shrugged it off and lifted the bottle to my lips again.
He probably needed an advance on his allowance. He rarely visited unless he wanted something.
I didn’t look at him when he entered and took the seat across from me. He watched me for a moment before speaking.
“What the hell happened?”
“Nothing.” My head swam, and I blinked away the fuzziness before correcting myself. “Vivian and I broke up.”