He left. We landed, and two cars were waiting on the ramp. He only instructed the driver to ensure I was home safely before he climbed into the other vehicle, pressing his phone against his ear without bothering to spare me another glance.
Unbelievable. I was truly unbelievable for not realizing that it didn't matter how appealing the man was; he was just too hard to read. I couldn't understand what was going on in his head. It was like I was doing a one-thousand-piece puzzle missing the edges.
It was late when I got inside, and I was happy everyone was asleep in their quarters. I climbed up to my room, lugging my suitcases quietly, one at a time. It was definitely easier getting them out of the house than in. It didn't help that I earned another one from Niccolò, who bought me additional pieces despite my constant protest.
I fell back against my bed and turned my head to the bathroom. I was exhausted, but I contemplated taking a shower, knowing the warm water would relax me. I stripped out of my clothes and paused when my shirt sent a whiff of Niccolo's scent up my nostrils.
Instead of going to the shower like I'd planned, I crawled up my bed, calling out to turn off my lights before snuggling under my blankets with the stained shirt thrown across my unoccupied pillows.
It felt like I'd been sleeping for five minutes before I felt the weight of another body landing on top of me.
"Wake the fuck up, you whore! Where the hell have you been?" I pried my eyes open to hazel ones staring down at me.
Jaz's curly hair was in a pineapple bun on her head, and I groaned, rolling my head away from her.
"Fuck off, Jazmine." My voice was thick with sleep.
Her reply was to yank the sheets from my body, exposing my clothesless self to the frigid temperatures of my room. I dug my head into my pillow, screaming into the plush material and allowed it to soak up my voice.
"Fuck off? You've been asleep for hours and I need to hear about this workshop you attended. Do you think I'm dumb? Every other time, you're hounding me for advice and spilling your guts with pros and cons about everything, but this time... you disappear without a trace?"
I rolled on my back, rubbing my eyes free of the remainder of my sleep. Jazmine straddled my waist again, and I tried to tune out her rapid questions, "Did you leave with Antony? No, but I saw him yesterday. Is there some sugar-daddy I don't know about? Oh my god, are you finally ditching the marriage?" Her voice fell to a whisper-shout as her wide eyes pierced mine.
She was wrong. It was the complete opposite. My weekend revealed I needed to forget about ditching the marriage; instead, I needed to accept it. I could only shake my head, and she frowned.
"I- I'm going through with the marriage. For real this time, one hundred percent." My voice was soft, and I tried to blame it on the fact that I'd just gotten up. Plus, there was the jet lag.
"What about you, Quinn? What happened to excitement and adventure? Not to state the obvious, but the most adventure you'll have is probably walking around the Chekov Estate." I gulped and pushed her off to stand from the bed. I dragged on an oversized shirt before moving to turn on my shower.
It was also an excuse to give myself time to reply. Jaz was my confidant; she knew how I felt about the marriage and how my mind had slowly changed. She was always insisting that I say fuck it and leave it all behind. It was harder said than done when, for the past four years, that's all my parents had been gushing and praising about.
These thoughts weren't supposed to be running through my head. It was almost too late to stop now. We'd be moving in together soon. I would be moving into Antony's condo, closer to the city than I'd like, into the penthouse he bought just for us.
Niccolo's words played in my mind again. Was I just going to play house?
I walked back into the room to see Jaz sitting in the middle of my bed, waiting patiently with her legs crossed. "I just have one thing to ask."
I scratched my scalp, nodding for her to continue. She reached behind her and pulled out my camera, scrolling through my pictures of Italy. Shit.
"Who is this?" She turned the small screen towards me, and even if I was blind, I'd still be able to see the outline of Niccolo standing on the rooftop with the wind blowing through the silky strands of his hair. She continued scrolling, stopping on a picture of the restaurant that had been imported due to my camera being connected to my phone. "Could it be him?"
The photo was mostly food, but Jaz's detective ass had zoomed into the top left corner where Niccolo's ringed pinky was caught in the frame. His gold jewellery glistened, and it was easy to see it was a man's hand.
"Stop." I stalked over and grabbed the device from her hands trying to swat the smile off her face.
"So you won't tell me?" I knew I would, I just wasn't sure when and how much I was going to spill. It was useless because she always managed to drag the truth out of me one way or another.
"Answer yes or say no." Should I just leave out the kiss and tell her about everything else?
"No." Fucking hell.
"You're a pain in my ass Jazmine." She smiled and I took in her features so similar but different from mine. We both held the same deep bronze skin tone and I could see the structure of my face in hers. Everything else was different. Whereas I was shorter, she stood at a proud 5'9, with a slender frame that begged to be on a runway. Her curls were tighter and more haphazard and my chocolate brown eyes were a clash with her hazel ones. The only other similarity was the dimple on her left cheek when she smiled.
"We never keep secrets though, and I'm lonely. Your life is much more entertaining right now." I sighed but thought it over. Jaz was a detective, and I was a curious woman. Maybe she was the help I needed to find out more about the man.
I thought you were moving on, Quinn? "I'll tell you another time." That made her grin.
I quieted the voice in my head. The details weren't necessary.
"What do you know about Niccolo Capello?"
She frowned at my words, "The Capellos? Italian?" Her eyes lowered to the camera still hanging at my side, and it was almost as if she was connecting dots in her head. "I know that they're not to be played with. I also know- and don't ask me how- that Valentin has some plan to bring the entire empire crashing down. They're basically at war, but the reasons are unknown."
At war. I literally wanted to sleep with the enemy. I'd gotten all the signs I needed to tell me to stay away. My thoughts drifted back to the party. How they seemed friendly but the small snarks told me all was not well. At war? I wanted to know what but I needed to drop the subject.
"Why do you ask Quinn?"
I shook my head, playing it off, "No reason. Just heard the name, and it sounded familiar." I was lying through my teeth at this point and she knew.
A part of me wanted to tell Jazmine what had happened, but the other part wanted to keep the memories to myself. Something about my moments with the man being only mine forced me to keep my mouth closed.
She questioned me some more, reminding me that my answer to our little game meant I owed her. That was fine, it gave me more time to figure out my situation with Niccolò—whatever it was.
Jazmine left after I complained that my bathroom was getting too foggy and i needed to go shower. I stripped the shirt I'd dragged on before stepping into the water a bit too hot, but I welcomed the burn against my skin.
I took my time exfoliating with my favourite mango scrub which somehow always brought my mood up. My thoughts could no longer be sidetracked. I was back home, back to reality, and I knew I needed to focus on Antony. What I would say when I saw him and how I would explain that I was finally ready to go all in.
Instead, all I could focus on was if Niccolò would call and if there was a chance I would see the man again.
After a good relaxing shower and an extensive skincare routine, I slipped into some random shorts and a cropped tank top and took my time moisturizing my skin. After spraying my favourite bedtime scent, I grabbed a hold of my laptop and camera to start the process of going through all the photographs I'd taken over the weekend. I was more excited for some more than others.
I glanced at my phone, and my heart picked up seeing a simple missed call from the unknown number I'd memorized as his. I grabbed the device, pushing the other to the side as a nervous smile played on my lips.
Stop getting excited, Quinn. I pressed the notification watching as my phone returned the call before I brought it up to my ear.
My smile fell as the call connected just when I thought it wouldn't. My brows met in the middle as confusion took over my features. I ripped the phone from my ear to make sure I wasn't mistaken.
Moaning?
Reluctantly, I pushed the device back against the side of my skull, a full frown now set on my face.
"Nic!" The whining woman on the other end was panting and the hint of a laugh was laced in her voice, "Not so rough—" I dragged the phone away, ending the call and staring at my phone screen in disbelief.
He was fucking someone? My thoughts drifted back to when we landed. He hadn't spared me a glance; just got on his phone call and hopped in a second car.
Unbelievable was the only word to describe the man, and pathetic seemed to be the one to describe me. Angrily I blocked the number from my phone hoping it would erase the memories that came with the man as well.
My phone vibrated with a message and my heart sank when I saw the name.
Ant: I miss you. Let's have lunch at your favourite spot tomorrow.
That was the last sign I needed to solidify my decision. I was officially done with Niccolò.
enjoy the chapter, and please keep in mind these are unedited
at least one good thing came from having an 8am class (kill me now please)
see you in the next one <3 -AJ