Page 59 of Anastasia

He nodded before opening my door and letting us both out.

“You sure you’re all right? We can go to the mall tomorrow,” I said, raising my hand up to check her forehead again. Alex had a fever the entire time she had cancer and I never noticed. Even when she complained of aches all the time—I never noticed. Maybe if I had detected signs sooner, I could’ve saved her.

“I promise, I’m okay. Sometimes seafood and I don’t really get along,” she told me as she reached down to grasp my hand. I was dragged by Orabella to the front door of the mall. I let out a sigh and decided to calm down.

The moment we walked in, Orabella smiled. When she looked over at me, I had the exact same smile. We were both thinking the exact same thing—we’re about to go ballistic.

* * *

After hours of shopping,we were finally home. Orabella looked like she was scared about something, leaving me to worry for her. Every time I asked her about it, she would shake her head and look elsewhere. It made me concerned, but I didn’t want to say much about it.

When we arrived home, Orabella was slow to grab all of her bags, so I took that time to go inside. Valentino was walking toward the door. The second I saw him, I pulled him into a hug before pecking his lips.

Just as I was about to ask him about his day, Orabella walked in. She didn’t even bother to look at me as she walked straight up to Valentino. Hehatedher. I could see it in his eyes as he looked at the girl. Frowning at them, I stayed silent and resorted to observing. I just hoped he would soon realize that whatever happened to him and his brother wasn’t her fault.

“Where’s Vincenzo?” she asked him. His eyes continued to look at me even though he was talking to her.

“Here’s an idea, princess,” he said, finally averting his dangerously cool eyes from me. He looked over at Orabella, taking a step toward her. “How about you look like a big girl?”

Rolling her eyes, she carried on up the stairs.

“Really, Valentino?” I pronounced the moment she wasn’t in hearing range.

He rolled his eyes and walked down the hall toward his room. I followed right behind him, already growing irritated by his actions.

When we made it to his room, I overlooked the anger in his face. His clenched fists and jaw were enough to make me frown.

“I don’t want to talk about this. I need you,” he stated. He pulled me into his chest and started to kiss my neck.

“Okay, but I just want you to know that hate and revenge won’t fix anything. The pain will always be there. Take it from me,” I said, hoping to get him to understand where I was coming from.

He let out a sigh before he pulled away. Based on the hard look in his eye, he didn’t care. He didn’t evenwantto care. His heart was set on revenge and that was all.

“I’m gonna go shower,” he grumbled. I could only watch as he walked away.

Anastasia

Many days had passed, and Valentino allowed me to strip again. I think it was his way of distracting me from what he was planning. I didn’t mind the distraction. I was happy that it meant I didn’t have to face Orabella much. There was no way I could look her in the eye while lying to her. She didn’t deserve what Valentino was trying to do.

As I walked through the club, my eyes met Valentino’s. He was looking at me with an expression thatI couldn’t quite decipher. I was quick to glance away and walk toward the back. We hadn’t really spoken much the past few days because he would only get busier. I missed him, but I didn’t want to get in the way of his work.

My shift was almost over, and as soon as it finished, I’d be joining Sarah in the kitchen to eat, because I was starving.

When I turned back to where Valentino was, he was gone. A huge part of me actually wanted him to come talk to me.

After exiting the club, I made my way to the kitchen to see if there was anything I could eat. My stomach was killing me.

“Hey, Sarah,” I called out. She turned to face me with a bright smile on her face.

I laid my head down on the counter as I bent over and folded my arms over my head. My entire lower region was hurting.

“You okay?” she asked.

I stood up and nodded my head. “Yes, if it’s okay, I was wondering if you could cook me something, because I’m starving.”

She quickly nodded her head and began to gather things to cook. “Of course! I have already begun to cook a little something.”

It was only then that I was welcomed by the beautiful aroma of freshly cooked foods.

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