In the afternoon, my friends arrived. I welcomed them at the door and immediately embraced both of them. I didn’t see Nina often because there were times when she went back to her hometown.
“Millie!” my two friends shouted and hugged me.
“Rae! Nin!” I shouted in joy.
After we separated from our hugs, they gazed around Gio and my house. Rae praised it. My friend is an interior designer, so he couldn’t help but be critical of the house.
“Your house is so beautiful. I was captivated by it from the outside alone,” he commented. “I’m not surprised, given that you married a Locatelli. Their family probably has some of the most beautiful homes here, not to mention their houses in other countries. Don’t they have a house in Beverly Hills too?”
I shrugged. The Locatelli family owns numerous properties, and I can’t keep track or remember them all.
“In all the exclusive subdivisions in the world, those houses are scattered,” Rae smiled at me. “But that’s the least of my concerns right now. I know your husband comes from a wealthy family, and you deserve to live like a queen. What I want to know is if your relationship with your husband is alright. We can talk about that later. We brought food, by the way! I also have gifts for you and Nin.”
Rae pointed to my back, so I turned to look. I saw our staff carrying things, probably instructed by Rae earlier.
I led my two friends to the entertainment room, where there’s a mini bar and all the alcohol I thought they’d like. I went all out to have everything prepared, just in case they wanted to do something.
“Put them on the table,” I instructed Dario, the one who Rae had carrying the items. Dario looked at me, so I shyly smiled. I couldn’t tell Rae that he had a high-ranking official of Gio’s carrying the food because he didn’t know anything about it.
Dario approached me after placing Rae’s things on the table.
“We’ll be outside, Ma’am. If you need anything, please feel free to call us,” Dario politely said before walking away.
Rae immediately wedged himself beside me and smirked in Dario’s direction.
“Maybe I could have him. Is he your husband’s staff? Maybe he wants to be my boyfriend!” I playfully swatted Rae on the shoulder for what he said. I shook my head.
“Work is more important to them, Rae. By the way, don’t you have a boyfriend now? Wasn’t the last I heard, you were dating someone in Thailand?” I asked him.
We were already seated on the couches in the room. Nin had already opened a bottle of alcohol and was pouring it into her glass with ice.
“Anyway, how have you been? I’ve heard a lot from Nin because I talk to her more often than you. It’s tough to reach you, woman!” Rae teased, giving me a playful side-eye. “Nin told me that you and your husband are doing fine. But I still want to hear it from you. Are you really okay here? Are you sure about it? Is everything going well?”
I nodded. “I’m okay. Gio and I are fine. I feel comfortable here, and he’s helping me overcome my trauma. I’ve been in counseling for the past few months, and I’m slowly getting back on track. The broken pieces are starting to mend.”
Rae nodded, picked up his glass now filled with alcohol, and took a sip. “If that’s the case, I’m happy for you. You deserve to break free from your father’s shackles. We wanted to help back then, but it only seemed to worsen your situation because of what Uncle was doing to you. So in the end, our help was just adding to your troubles.” Rae held my hand. “You know we’re rooting for you, right? Both Nin and I. We want you to be where you’ll be happy.”
“We witnessed what Uncle did to you, and we were too powerless to help you. So now that you’ve escaped him, we’re happy. We just never imagined that your husband would be the next problem,” Nin added.
I felt like crying with what Rae and Nin were saying. I’m so happy to have them in my life.
“What’s wrong with you two? It’s still early, and we’re not even drunk yet, but you’re already going all dramatic on me! You’re making me cry!” I pretended to cry, but in truth, I was getting emotional.
“You crazy people! Don’t cry just yet, save it for later!” Rae laughed heartily. Nina was laughing too, shaking her head. “It’s been so long since the three of us had a chat, and now I’m unloading all the drama in my life.”
The night revolved around laughter, storytelling, drinking, and getting a little emotional. That’s how our evening went. Besides Gio, Sienna, and Aunt Elsie, I am also thankful for the friends who stayed with me through the toughest times of my life.
“Nin told me that your husband doesn’t want to have children? How true is that, Amelie?” Rae was a bit tipsy now.
“It’s true,” I replied. “But Gio probably has his reasons.”
“What’s his reason? What reason does he have to withhold his lineage and not give me lovely godchildren?”
Nina laughed at what Rae said and playfully slapped him on the arm.
“This girl already drunk!” Nin took the drink from Rae, but he still wasn’t ready to stop.
“Bitch, don’t take my glass!” he said, obviously getting drowsy.
“Cut it out! You’ll be driving later; listen to Nin. I helped her stop Rae because he seemed really drunk. He’s acting out because he was fooled by his boyfriend, and he’s heartbroken now.”
“I have nine lives, girl! If I die today, I still have eight lives left!”
I shook my head at Rae. He had a lot to drink.
“Rae, stay here tonight. I’ll prepare one of the guest rooms. Nin, you can stay the night too.”
“I can’t, Millie. I’ll be up early tomorrow, so I’ll go to my condo. Rae can stay here because he’s really drunk. I doubt he can still drive.”
Rae suddenly stood up. “Huh? Who’s drunk? No one’s drunk!” My friend turned to me and held my arm. “Millie, just be happy, okay? That’s all I want for your life. You deserve to be happy!” Rae was stumbling, so I quickly got him a glass of water. His eyes weren’t focused anymore because of the alcohol.
“Rae, stay here.”
“No, I can manage on my own.”
We prepared for their departure. Rae straightened up, so we thought he could manage. I insisted that he stay, but he was adamant. In the end, there was nothing I could do.
They got into their respective cars. It was already late, and Gio was coming home very late tonight, according to Dario, as he had many things to attend to. Taddeo was with him, Dario said.
“Nin, please look after Rae. I’m really worried.”
“Yeah, I’ll follow his car to make sure he arrives safely at his condo.”
I signaled to them to call me when they got home. Rae smiled at me, but I was genuinely concerned about his condition.
They drove away. I almost chased Rae’s car, thinking of convincing him to stay here for the night.
I sighed and went inside. Gio arrived shortly after.