Chapter 38
CHARLOTTE
It felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders, and the drive back to the estate was the best I’d had in a long time. I rolled down the windows, and the evening breeze blew through my hair. Surprisingly, my headache had stopped throbbing.
The sweet taste of the bun still lingered on my tongue, and I craved more. I contemplated the distance I would have to drive to get them and forced myself to move in the direction I had chosen. However, as I drove past the gates, I had a grand idea.
Maria and I would eat out. Why not? It made sense; we were two women in that gigantic house and equally big estate. We needed to get out for a bit. She’d pick the restaurant, and we’d have a great time. I drove the car to a halt, and when I alighted, she was walking through the door holding a piece of paper and a pencil in her
other hand.
“Whatever that is, I don’t want to hear it,” I announced. She looked at me with a puzzled expression. “Don’t look at
me like that; we’re going out.”
“Going out? What do you mean? We need to pick-”
“Clothes for dinner, and you need to pick a restaurant.”
“Clothes?” she asked, her expression morphing from confusion to shock. “A restaurant?”
“Yes,” I responded and started walking towards the front door. “Don’t forget the restaurant. Do you have a favorite
one?”
“Yes, but I haven’t been outside the estate in years. Besides the market, occasionally, but I doubt they’ll be in
business now.”
“Yikes. You don’t have much faith in their business?” I replied, and she chuckled.
“No, not that. I just like to be realistic.”
“Well, that’s a bummer. We could check, or you could pick somewhere else randomly. That sounds fun.”
“Why am I picking? And what about the interview-”
“You said it yourself. You’ve not been out in a while. And I don’t want to hear anything about this estate right now.”
“That’s understandable, but do we have to go out?”
“Why shouldn’t we? What would you rather do?”
“Cook. There’s a kitchen for that. We have everything we need.”
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Chapter 38
“Aren’t you tired of that routine?”
“Well… I like routines, but yes, now that you mention it, it is monotonous.”
“Extremely. That’s why we need to do something different, don’t you think?”
“Yes, but you’re unwell.”
“Yet I’m insisting we have dinner outside. Let me worry about that; you have an outfit to put together.”
“Are you doing this because of Signora La Guerta?” she inquired, squinting her eyes.
I chuckled and reached for the door. “You can’t let her make you feel unsafe in your home,” she added as we walked
into the main hall.
I turned around to lock eyes with her and broke into a grin. “I have never felt safer in all my years, Maria.”
She stared at me for a few minutes and shook her head slowly. “I don’t get it. Did anything happen at the lawyer’s office?”
“Yes, but I can only tell you about it at dinner. I’m going to take a bath; see you.”
I made my way to the bedroom, whistling a low tune. The exchange I had with Maria replayed in my head. She was right about not letting Elena make me feel unsafe, but that was not the case here. I had just learned that I owned enough money to give myself a head start for a bit. That made me feel safe enough, plus I owned the property. If she
wanted it, she would have to go to court to get it. Anyone with half a brain would know she had no case against me.
But again, that was all I was: a legal owner. If the Thuthai family decided to side with her, I would lose the house, and even more, if I decided to fight them. I had no plans to sabotage myself; I didn’t have a lot of luck on my side. I was going to hold onto this good fortune for a bit longer.
If I’m being honest, this place has never really felt like home to me. I moved to Milan for survival, met Rogerio, and never truly lived life for myself. Perhaps it’s time to give myself a chance.
“I can afford to do it; I might as well enjoy it,” I muttered and waltzed towards the bathroom.
When I was done bathing, I threw on a simple black dress and stared at my reflection in the mirror. For the first time, I could see myself since the divorce. I didn’t like the person staring back at me, and I had to change that.
I walked out of the room with a resolve to live differently. In the hallway, I met Maria, who was wearing a navy blue dress that looked lovely on her plump frame. “You look lovely,” I said, and she smiled.
“Thank you. I wasn’t sure what the occasion was, but this seemed like the perfect dress,” she answered as we walked towards the front door and stepped into the car.
“Fun, Maria, that’s the occasion,” I replied as we drove out of the estate.
We spent the night trying new restaurants. Her favorite one was still in business, but the owner had died. Her kids
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Chapter 38
ran the establishment, and they were delighted to see her. When we left, I suggested we wyso surprisingly, she agreed.
The next activity on my list was shopping. Getting her to pick up whatever she wanted off the shelves we given that she preferred to window shop and admire the items that caught her attention
When we left the first store empty handed because she wouldn’t take anythoxy, Ikawy 1 had to do something different, or she would never get something for herself. As we drove through the aty, 1 told her about the way the estate generated and the money I had stashed away. For some reason, I couldn’t bring mysed to be as the ring, and I didn’t try to question it. She was delighted to hear that there was enough finance to stay attent
When we entered the next shop, she tried to window shop again, but every time she admired something to attendants to put it on my tab. Soon, she stopped pointing at things, but that didn’t deter toe. We turned home with a backseat full of shopping bags and food from the last restaurant we had been at. She had loosened up and we could admit that the experience was great for us.
A few moments later, we were sitting on the floor in my bedroom, rummaging through the bags and trying on some of the items. She commented that being cooped up in the house for so long had made her los sigin of what it w beyond the estate, and the thought that had been lingering in the corners of my mind sprang up again. I told tee about it, mainly to see if she would try to deter me.
“I want to go somewhere else, well… I’ve been thinking about it,” I declared, focusing my eyes on the dress in mo hands. It was an orange sundress that I had chosen for myself on the second shopping spree, I didn’t own any dresses in that color, and I thought it would be a fun addition.
“I… don’t know what to say, Is it…”
“No, it’s not her. Well, her presence may have had a part to play in all of it, but it’s not entirely because of that It’s this house… this estate. It holds memories that I do not want to be constantly reminded about*
“I understand that,” she replied quietly and sighed. “So, where would you go?“
“L.A.,” I let out before I could stop myself. My face crumpled in a frown as the words replayed in my head. I had never really given thought to where I wanted to go; I just knew I wanted to leave. But now I think I’ve always knowma
“Los Angeles?” she echoed and whistled. “That’s far away.”
“Well, if there’s anything I’m great at, it’s running away. This isn’t necessarily running. I just think a breath of fresh air would be nice.”
“I agree,” she said, lowering her gaze and focusing on the slipper she was holding “I always knew you’d want to go.”
“Really? How so?”
“You always seemed like… a bird locked up in a cage the entire time you were with Signor Rogerio. You seemed like you desired a different life, but you were too focused on being the perfect partner to bring yourself to get iL”
“Why do I get the feeling that you think this divorce was a good idea?”
She chuckled and put the slipper back in the shoebox. “Maybe it’s because I do. You may have a hard time getting
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over it, but you seem like you’re going to be alright now.”
“I feel like it too. Will you come with me? We don’t have to live together if you don’t want that; I could get a
“No,” she interrupted and shook her head slowly. “I have spent most of my years living here. I might be more inclined to go out and experience life in the city more, but that’s the farthest I’m willing to go.”
I wanted to say something else but decided against it. There was no use trying to convince her. If she wanted to stay here, I knew there was nothing I could do to change her mind.
