Page 28 of Isabella

Shifting my gaze up to the door, I make eye contact with my cousin. Her gaze widens before she pushes her way into my room.

“Oh my gosh, Izzy. What’s wrong?” She rushes to the side of my bed. “What happened?”

I shake my head, and just when I thought the sobs had slowed, they come back full force as if I’m reliving that terrible phone call all over again.

It’s as if Liana witnessing me like this makes what happened so much more real.

Climbing onto my bed, Liana takes me into her arms and cradles me. She does so for who knows how long while I sob into her shoulder, letting the dark emotions pour out of me.

“Izzy, talk to me.” Concern seeps through her words. “I’m worried. Please tell me what’s going on.”

I whisper the nearly unintelligible words. “Nicco broke up with me.”

Liana tenses before pulling away to look at me. “What?” she asks, confusion masking the concern.

Sitting up so my back is resting on the pillows propped against my headboard, I wipe the tears from my cheeks with the sleeve of my sweatshirt and sniffle.

“I came in here to take that call from Nicco. I thought he was going to tell me he was coming over.” I sniffle again. “H-he said he wanted to break up. That his dad found someone for him to marry in Italy and that he’s going there to meet her family.”

Even as I speak the words it doesn’t make sense. How can someone who’s been such a constant in my life for the past year and a half just break up with me over the phone like that? There were no signs. Nothing.

“This doesn’t make sense, Izzy,” Liana says.

I throw my hands up. “I know, but that’s what he said.” My shallow breaths make an appearance again, and the stinging behind my eyes starts up once more as the tears threaten to spill again.

“Okay,” Liana soothes as she places a hand on mine. “Take a few deep breaths with me.” I oblige as we do so in sync, trying to calm my racing heart and mind.

“Now, start from the beginning. Tell me exactly what happened.” And I do so, spending the next few minutes going through everything Nicco said to me, and by the end, Liana is just as confused as I am, making this all the more difficult.

“Have you tried calling him again?”

“I did, but he won’t answer my calls, and he won’t answer my texts.” I let out a pathetic scoff. “He’s probably too busy fucking that girl I heard on the other line.” I can’t bring myself to say the wordfiancée.

“I know it doesn’t sound good that he had someone else there calling him babe, but it just doesn’t make any sense, Izzy. I’ve seen the two of you together from the start, and this does not sound like Nicco. He loves you. He’s freaking obsessed with you.” She shakes her head, not believing this just as much as me. “There has to be an explanation.”

Grabbing my phone from between us, she holds it out to me. “Try him again.”

I shake my head, not wanting to deal with this anymore tonight.

Pushing my phone closer so it’s practically in my hand, she says, “Just one more time. There has to be a good explanation for this. Maybe something did happen with his dad like you said. FaceTime him. See if there’s any kind of tell.”

“I really don’t want to, Liana.”

“Please, Izzy. You need to get some answers. He owes you that.”

I reluctantly take my phone out of her hand and press the FaceTime icon next to Nicco’s name. The ringing takes over the speaker, and my heart threatens to jump out of my chest as I wait. Just when I think he’s not going to answer, Nicco’s face takes over my screen.

He’s in bed, no shirt, and hair tousled. His lids are heavy as if he just woke up, but it’s not that late. I know he wasn’t sleeping.

“What’s up?” he asks, his voice scratchy and distant.

“I-I just—” I swallow deeply, my voice hoarse from all the crying. “I wanted to talk to you.”

At that moment, when I thought the pain in my heart couldn’t get any worse, it feels like shards of glass are piercing it from all sides, debilitating it so it’s no longer rendered useful.

“What’re you doing?” comes the high-pitched voice of a female, then a mass of dark hair comes into the frame and a woman wraps her arms around Nicco and drops a small kiss along his jawline.

I freeze, not knowing what to do. How to react. It’s like a car crash. I shouldn’t watch, but I can’t seem to tear my eyes off of it.

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