Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 78236 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 391(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78236 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 391(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
I laugh at that. She knew my family name and still considered me normal. Perhaps I wasn’t the only delusional one in this friendship.
“I know I can’t be forgiven for lying to you, but I sure as hell can try to make up for it.” She tosses down a pillow.
I sigh. I’d fought and ran away from too many demons tonight. “Monica, the last six weeks have been hell. Right now, I just can’t.”
She nods in understanding. “I know. I just wanted you to know that before you run out of here like a bat out of hell in the morning. You’ve always been so very good at that.”
My eyebrows furrow as she locks the front door. “Good at what?”
“Running.”
I huff out a breath, and she gestures—no malice intended—with her hands. “Outside of the courtroom, I mean.” Those words don’t make it any better.
“Good night, Rya,” she adds before stepping into the hallway that leads to her room. And the way she says my name now feels different. No more secrets to hide behind.
My two worlds have collided.
Past and now.
CHAPTER 54
Rya
The next morning, I decide to walk from Monica’s. I wander the bustling streets of New York, the city busy with life even in the early morning, and somehow, I manage to walk aimlessly until midday. I can’t help but think about many questions and conclusions, most of them centered around Crue.
Right now, the most pressing thing is… how I am going to get out of this marriage.
And there is the small question of… whether it would really be that bad if I didn’t.
I squash that idea pretty quickly, though.
There is all this pressure not only from him but also from everyone else. I hate him. But there is something there that I’m not willing to acknowledge. So I push the thought down further because I’m certain that’s the issue causing the anxious swirls in my stomach.
When I look up from the sidewalk to my building entrance, I’m surprised that Mr. Luca is standing there and discussing something with my doorman.
“Miss Ricci, do you know this man?” the doorman asks.
“Yeah, he’s my…” Boss isn’t the right word, “… colleague. What are you doing here, Mr. Luca?”
He’s holding flowers and a bottle of champagne. “Well, I didn’t realize you would take a few days to cool off after the case, so I didn’t have the chance to give you this in congratulations!” He offers me a bouquet of mixed flowers, and there’s a distinct smell in there I don’t like, and worse than that, I pale at the sight of the champagne. Yep, it’s still too soon.
“How did you find my address?”
Mr. Luca suddenly dips his chin and clears his throat, seeming embarrassed. “Oh, sorry. It was in your employment file. To be honest, I wasn’t sure if it was up to date since you filed that information like ten years ago.”
I study him.
This is definitely weird and I can’t help but furrow my brows.
“I just wanted to check in and see if you had time for dinner in celebration,” Mr. Luca says.
I stand there awkwardly, shifting from one foot to the other, unsure as to whether he’s asking me out for dinner for work or a date.
“I’m so sorry, Mr. Luca, but I have plans today. Perhaps some other time,” I reply gently, not wanting to encourage him but also not wanting to burn any bridges at work.
And then there’s Crue.
Agreeing to dinner with another man for any reason would be like setting them up for a death blow. I hate that I now take that into consideration.
“Oh, of course. No problem. Well, I hope you enjoy the flowers. And again, congratulations. The board is extremely proud of your accomplishments. And the Torrisi family were clearly grateful with the generous bonus they sent through.”
“Bonus?” I ask.
He’s already walking away when he nods in confirmation. “Yes. The accounting department is processing it today, so you should receive the payment in the next day or so.”
Considering how scared Andreas looked the last time I saw him, I didn’t think he would be offering me a bonus anytime soon.
“Thank you,” I reply to Mr. Luca as he leaves.
The doorman watches him leave and then turns back to me. “He doesn’t look like your usual type,” he says with a low chuckle. This man has been here since before I moved into the building, and so curiosity gets the better of me.
“And what does my usual type look like?” I ask with a sly smirk.
“The type that’s no good for you. My daughter went through the same phase.” He rolls his eyes, and I can’t help but laugh. He might not be wrong. Before Crue, I suppose the type of men I dated were, in comparison, quite mundane. Not that I ever saw them again.