“You’re fired!” I grit just as he slams his car door and drives out of sight into the dark night.
Arrivederci.
Roaring thunder aids his farewell as the sky opens up. Heavy rain droplets pelt down with a distant earthy smell permeating the frigid air. My anger deflates, yet the disillusion remains. It won’t ever fade. Not with him.
“Yeah…I’m going to need a drink.”
Valencia
The way Giulio palms his forehead upon reentering, I already know the situation must have escalated between him and my brother-in-law.
Hard ‘pit-pat’ rain rushes down against the ceiling as I offer him a sympathetic smile. The strife is nothing compared to the gust of wind that slams the door shut for me. It suggests a storm is brewing. Not that one wasn’t already…
I don’t know what’s happening with Marcus. Helena needed a moment to herself when they left and so I made sure the kids brushed their teeth and then tucked them into bed with the promise of watching a movie later on in the week instead.
Marcus has always been a good man in my eyes, a dedicated individual who strives to follow in Giulio’s footsteps, but somewhere along the way, something happened—and now…heroin?
“I’m going to make a coffee for Helena, do you want one?”
“Yes, please.” Giulio pecks my lips, the sensation still so new and warming. “But with a touch of whiskey in mine, please. I need it. Do you mind if I kiss the kids goodnight?”
“Not at all. I’ll make the coffee.” I sort through the mugs, mentally preparing myself for the unraveling of Marcus Giannotti when an electric heat spreads against my shoulder blades ending in a tender squeeze. “Thank you, baby.”
“For?”
“Everything that you do. The kids are lucky to have a mother like you.”
“They’re lucky to have you too! Seeing you as a father makes me even prouder to have you by my side.”
I feel Giulio’s hot gaze penetrate through my entire body and all I want to do is make love to him all over again. That and reverse our legal separation. I know it’s still early but it feels so right. These past few days have been incredible with him. I’m loving every moment of our new vow. Giulio believing in Addilyn only reaffirms my beliefs—making me the happiest woman alive if our baby were to be found and placed in my arms.
“Our family is the best thing that has ever happened to me. To us. I will never walk away from what we made. Lencia, I promise you that.” Then he kisses me again. It’s much slower, so beautifully sensual. We’re not tearing each other’s clothes off; we simply need each other to pull through.
We part at the sound of a thunder clap.
“I will never walk away either,” I murmur, stealing another small peck.
The desire is there to continue but tonight everything has become much more complicated. Whatever happened between Helena and Marcus is serious and we need to sort through it with her.
“I’m worried about Marcus. I don’t want to lose him. I don’t want it to escalate to that.”
“Do you know what happened?”
“I don’t know what happened with Helena but for a few months now Marcus has been dealing drugs. I have been trying to get him off but it’s all too much for him. He borrowed money from me that I was crazy enough to believe would be spent on something good. It wasn’t and he never repaid me. I don’t care about the latter, but he could’ve used it to save himself. He stopped for a while, but last week I went to his house and found his coat closet filled with pills and powders. He said he’s only dealing. I don’t believe him nor am I happy about it.”
“It’s not safe…why would he do it? If that’s the case, I don’t want him near the kids.”
Giulio nods. “He hasn’t been staying with the kids, well not alone anyway. I know he wouldn’t hurt them, but I want to be sure. I don’t know why he’s doing this. He doesn’t talk to me about it. I guess I won’t be getting much out of him anyway seeing as I fired him out there.”
Oh.
This is far worse than I originally thought.
“Is this what you wanted to tell me the morning after the bar incident with Bryce? Remember how Marcus cut you off when you said he should tell me about something…?”
Giulio swallows thickly. “Yes. I’ve been meaning to tell you, but up until this point, it was his battle to fight. I’ve told him numerous times that I’m here to help him but he doesn’t want my help or any professional help. What more can we do? And what hurts me the most is what he said to Helena and how this was supposed to be a perfect night with our family.”
“None of this is our fault. It’s just how the night was supposed to go. Helena’s a strong woman and we’ll be right here to help her through this…Why don’t you go to the kids now? I’ll make those coffees and your special whiskey order, Mister.”
“Thanks. I appreciate it, darling.” Giulio winks before disappearing down the hallway.
Helena blinks away a few tears, glancing down at the freshly brewed coffee in her hands. She reminds me of myself in this moment. I see my broken soul within her. I see the fight. The resistance. The pain.
I hate all of it.
This isn’t her.
Helena Holmes is the life of the party, a sassy soul, and the person everybody wants as a best friend. I never suspected her to be involved with Marcus. They hid it so well! It hurts to know Marcus drove her to this point. She doesn’t deserve it after everything she’s been through, but I know it will only be a matter of time before she bounces back.
“Trust me to find a lunatic to break my dry spell! No offense Giulio.”
“None taken. Trust me.”
“And
