Veronica
I left by train from Siena to Venice that evening. Once I checked into a small hotel, I called the attorney who’d overheard my conversation with my grandfather and left him my address, telling him to forward any paperwork to me here. I called Robyn and told her I was in Venice, told her what had happened and what I’d done, and told her I needed to be off-line for a few days.
I missed Charlie. I missed cuddling up with him on my lap, missed his unconditional love.
The first twelve days I spent in bed, feeling sorry for myself.
On the thirteenth day, someone knocked on the door. When I told whoever it was to go away, they answered that I had received a package.
Reluctantly, I went to the door, cringing when I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. I opened it and took the large white envelope, assuming it was paperwork about Robyn’s guardianship. I pushed the shutters and window open to let in some fresh air and sunshine. The room smelled stale, and it seemed my sadness had permeated even the walls.
Once seated at the desk, I opened the envelope and withdrew the papers.
And stared.
I checked the return address. It was my attorney, so I’d assumed they were the papers to take over guardianship of Robyn. But when I opened them, there was a second envelope inside. This one was from Stefan or his attorney. He must have sent it to my attorney who forwarded it here. This was the document discussing the annulment of our marriage.
“Unbelievable.” I flipped through the pages, shaking my head. “Didn’t waste any time, did you?”
After everything that had happened, he’d just drawn up the papers and would put things into motion. All that was needed was my signature, and he’d get a nice big payout from my grandfather.
I questioned now what had happened in that office that day. Maybe he hadn’t been lying at all in the chapel. Maybe he’d lied after hearing about the payout, knowing he could be rid of me and still get paid in a matter of weeks rather than years. And save his own house and get Moriarty off his back on top of it. Maybe he didn’t want me at all. It’s not like he was fighting for me.
I shoved the chair back and found a pen in one of the drawers.
Instead of signing the document, I drew an X through the center of it and wrote the words Fuck You at the very top in big, bold letters.
Unless I signed, he’d get nothing.
And why should this be easy for him, when it was anything but for me?
I called the front desk and scrawled Return to Sender on the envelope, handing it back to the man who’d just delivered it and telling him to send it back. I then went into the bathroom to have a shower and give myself a kick in the ass.
Why in hell was I wallowing in my pain, when he was out drawing up paperwork to be rid of me? To collect money to do just that?
Apart from my father, I’d known two other men. And they’d both betrayed me. They’d used me and then discarded me like I was a piece of trash.
Well, fuck them. I’d had enough.
I left the hotel later that morning and stepped onto a gondola that took me across the canal and spent the day exploring the beautiful old city. I’d always wanted to come here, to see it. I just never thought it’d be alone. But I forced a smile on my face and walked along with other tourists through markets and narrow streets, eating lunch in a tiny cafe where I ordered by pointing to a dish another diner was eating. I returned to my hotel when it was dark out with a bottle of wine I’d bought, feeling exhausted, the depression I’d been shoving to the side creeping back in as I opened my bedroom door and walked inside. I opened the window, pulled my chair up to it, and watched the water and the people below. I drank the entire bottle of wine and didn’t not even bother undressing before I collapsed on top of the sheets, oblivion seeming like a fine idea right then.
At first I thought the pounding was my head.
I’d been drunk once before, at Stefan’s house that first night.
That hangover was nothing compared to what was happening now. The sound wouldn’t stop, the throbbing wouldn’t go away.
“Veronica! Open the door!”
I rolled over onto my side, realizing I still had on my clothes and even one shoe.
“I know you’re in there. Don’t make me break it down.”
I glanced over at the door. The pounding started again, and I heard another door open and someone yell out that it was the middle of the night. I checked the time. It was almost two o’clock in the morning.
“Goddamn it.” He started banging again.
Stefan?
I sat up, clutching my head. Was I still drunk, or was this a hangover? Getting up, I unlocked the door and pulled it open to find Stefan standing outside, looking like he was about to ram his shoulder into it.
“Why are you pounding?” I asked, stepping back when he shoved his way in before closing it.
“Because you sleep like the dead. I tried knocking like a normal person, believe me.”
He looked at me, furrowed his eyebrows, sniffed, then zeroed in on the empty bottle of wine lying on its side near the window. My gaze followed his, surprised. Had I drunk the whole thing?
“You’re drunk,” he said.
“No.” I shook my head, but it hurt so I stopped. “I was drunk. Now I’m hungover.”
He grinned, shaking his head.
“No, sweetheart, you’re still drunk.”
Sweetheart.
Ha.
“How did you find me?” No one knew where I was, not even Robyn. Only my lawyer, so I could sign whatever I needed to sign and get Robyn away from my grandfather.
“It wasn’t easy.”
“What do you want?” I asked, blinking hard, forcing my eyes to stay open.
He moved around the room and went over to the phone, picked it up, and ordered coffee and some bottles of water. The water sounded good.
“Come on, you’re having a shower.”
He took my arm and started to move me toward the bathroom.
“No, I’m not. I’m going back to bed as soon as I drink that water you ordered. Go away.”
“I don’t think so.”
He lifted me in his arms when I wouldn’t go willingly and deposited me in the bathroom.
“Strip.”
“Fuck you.”
“You already said that on the annulment papers, remember?” A knock came at the door. “Strip, and get in the shower while I get that.”
“No.”
But he walked away to answer the door, leaving me alone to do as he said. Well, like I said, he could go fuck himself.
I sat down on the edge of the tub and ran a bath instead.
I heard him thank the room-service man. A few minutes later, the bathroom door opened again, and he stepped inside with a bottle of water. I still hadn’t undressed, but he seemed pleased I was running the water.
“Here.”
He handed me the bottle. I took it and drank almost all of it down while he went back into the other room. He returned with a cup of coffee.
“You shouldn’t drink an entire bottle of wine.”
“Like you care.” I took the coffee from him and drank a long sip. It was good. I felt a little more human.
“I do care. I told you that already. What the hell was with that Return to Sender with the big ole fuck you, Veronica?”
“You didn’t like it?”
“No. You’re being immature.”
“Well, I am a little girl, right? Isn’t that what you said?” I drained the coffee and handed him the empty cup. “Excuse me while I have a bath.”
“I’ll stay right here.” He set the cup on the counter.
“What do you want, Stefan? You want my signature? After everything, you just want to erase this whole thing like it never happened? Well, you can’t just do that. It doesn’t work that way.” I swore at the tears that threatened and shifted my attention to switching off the water.
“You almost got killed because of me.”
“No, not because of you. Because of my grandfather.”
“I’m giving you back your freedom.”
“You’re getting paid.”
“It’s not about the money.”
“You sure were quick to sign. “Five minutes or the offer expires.” You were tripping over yourself to sign.”
“Did you hear a word I said to you in that office?”
“The lies, you mean? You told me once not to make a saint out of you. Well, I heard that, loud and clear. You’re not a saint. Got it. Remembered it. It was just a hell of a lot easier to walk away and tell me you were doing it for me. Admit it, Stefan. Admit it was easier. Then get the hell out of my life.”