I was about to follow Gio when I heard Rory’s voice. My fists clenched, and I angrily faced Rory. “You know I owe you a lot, Rory. You were with me when my world was falling apart, aside from my friends. You also know how much I value the people who supported me during one of the toughest periods of my life. So, even though Gio told me to stay away from you, I couldn’t do it because of your damn kindness to me! You’d been a good friend, and even now, I consider that a debt. I trusted you so much, and I never thought you’d come to this point, trying to force yourself on me! Trying to take the history we shared to ruin my relationship with my husband. Good thing, right? I didn’t accept your advances, and we never had a relationship. Because, Rory, you can’t be compare to Gio. You’re nothing but trash!”
I left quickly, not saying enough to ease my anger, and I know that Gio must be feeling twice as much as I am.
I encountered some of Gio’s associates on my way, who I believe were heading to where Rory was. But I don’t care! I have no concern for what they might do to Rory now. All I can think of is Gio.
I’m such a fool! Why do I always see the good in other people? Just because I interacted with them before, and they were good to me then, doesn’t mean they’re the same now. I tried to avoid Rory, didn’t I? I just never thought he’d do this.
And now, this is happening. Perhaps because my circle of friends is small, I didn’t have much interaction with other people back then due to my father. So, the people close to me mean a lot. That’s my weakness, and that’s why some individuals like Rory take advantage of me.
“Ma’am, what’s happening?”
I saw Dario, but I didn’t stop walking. I overheard them arguing with Patrick, but I didn’t pay them any attention.
“This is your fault! Why did you prioritize flirting?”
“Geez, Dario! You were following me too, right? You could have found your target for the night too!”
Dario cursed, and I knew they were following me.
I had already left the bar, and in the parking lot, there was no sign of Gio. I felt like he had left.
As the rain started to fall, people outside immediately sought shelter, but I remained standing in the middle of the parking lot, not caring if I was getting wet.
My hair was getting wet when someone held an umbrella over me. I hoped it was Gio, but when I turned to them, it was Dario and Patrick.
“Ma’am, let’s go home,” Dario said, clearly concerned for me.
“Gio.”
They helped me towards our car. I couldn’t say goodbye to my friends because of everything that happened.
I didn’t know that Rory was here. I had tried to avoid him because Gio didn’t like him. I wanted Gio to be happy with me, and we would sort things out. But this is how it all ended.
I buried my face in my hands and cried. I was excited about Gio’s return because I thought things would be better between us. We hadn’t talked for days, and this is what he walked into. If only I had pushed Rory away harder, if only I had done everything to keep him away earlier, if only I hadn’t had that drink, so I wouldn’t have lost my composure, and if only… I choked. I couldn’t even breathe properly because of my tears.
I know that Dario and the others can hear me, but they pretend not to notice, which I’m grateful for. I don’t want to cry like this in front of so many people, but right now, I can’t help it.
In just a few moments, we reached home. Despite the difficulty, I ran towards the house. I heard Dario calling out to me as I rushed inside, even before properly parking the car.
I immediately looked for Gio among the people I saw inside the house. Even though they weren’t responding to me, I quickly went up to the bedroom, hoping that Gio was there. When I couldn’t find him there, I went to his study room, but he still wasn’t there.
I suddenly realized, did I see his car parked outside? I was in such a hurry that I didn’t even notice.
I went down to the first floor. Alicia and the others greeted me. They were all worried about me.
“Did Gio come home earlier?” I asked , unable to hold back my sobbing.
Alicia hugged me and patted my back. I felt a deep fear, and I felt like it wouldn’t go away until I talked to Gio.
“He came home earlier, right after he got back from the airport. He looked for you immediately, and then he left. He hasn’t come back yet. What happened, Ma’am Millie?” asked me.
I didn’t say anything to her, but I hugged her. I cried on her shoulder while she comforted me.
I asked Dario, who was keeping a close eye on me. I knew they were worried, so they didn’t want to leave me alone in the house. I was drunk earlier, but now… I was sober, and it seemed like all the alcohol had left my body.
“D-Dario, don’t you really know where… Gio is?” I looked at them. I asked them, and Patrick, who was on the dance floor, felt embarrassed and hesitated to answer. Dario said he was at the counter, and they didn’t notice Gio.
I also realized that maybe… they didn’t notice that Rory had followed me. They apologized profusely to me, but I hoped they knew something.
“P-Please, Dario… I know your loyalty is with Gio, but if you know something, please tell me. I need to talk to him. I’ve tried to contact him, but there’s been no response.”
I stood up from my seat and approached Dario. They were surprised when I almost kneeled in front of them just to ask them about Gio’s whereabouts. They quickly stopped me from doing that.
Please, tell me where Gio is. I want to talk to him. I have a lot to explain to him, and he might be angry with me, yes. So, please, if you know anything, tell me.”
Dario let out a sigh. “We really don’t know, Ma’am. I’m telling the truth. Sir Gio didn’t tell me where he was going.”
I sniffled. “What about Elliott?”
“What about me?”
We looked at a man who had just entered. Elliott was with David.
“Are you talking about me?” He asked.
The two of them approached us, seemingly oblivious to what was happening. They were taken aback when they noticed my crying.
“Do you know where Sir Gio is?” Dario asked. He probably noticed my difficulty in speaking clearly.
“Huh? Didn’t he go straight to where Ma’am Millie is to surprise her because she didn’t go to Russia as planned? Sir Gio even spoke to his cousins there even though he was needed in Russia. He said you had something to discuss, so he needed to come home. Weren’t you supposed to be together now, Ma’am?” Elliott’s words made me cry even more.