As the sun rose outside the window, I flipped on the news.
It surprised me when the anchor launched into a story about our accident and Mr. Moretti’s passing. She didn’t mention my name. Thank all things holy. I made a note of the tentative memorial service information, knowing I shouldn’t go but also knowing my ass would be there. Any opportunity to see Luca, I’d be there. Pathetic didn’t even come close to describing me.
I sat wondering if I did have any dignity left when the anchors said a name that caughtmyattention.
“A missing person’s report has been filed for socialite Zoe Chronis after family members found her home ransacked. She was last seen leaving the engagement party of Dimitri Chronis and Daphne Dukas. If you know anything regarding Zoe Chronis’ disappearance, please contact the number at the bottom of the screen. A fifty-thousand-dollar reward is being offered to anyone who comes forward with information that leads to her discovery.”
Surprise! The hits just kept on coming.
TWENTY-SIX
Cars lined the street leading up to the Moretti estate. It took half an hour, but I valeted my car and found my way intothefoyer. Walking behind a tall couple, I tried to stay out of sight until I found Luca.
Too bad luck was never on my side.
“Sasha!” Arms wrapped around my hips, and I looked down at Dante. His eyes were red and puffy.It was clear the little boy had been crying. Of course, he had. He’d been Mr. Moretti’s shadow. My heart ached for Dante and the loss I’d caused.
“Hey,bud!” I ruffled his hair,and he frowned. “Where’s your mom at?”
Dante glanced behind him and shrugged. “In the kitchen with grandma. I got kicked out for eating all the cookies.” His little brow furrowed. “But that’s why they’re there,right? To eat?”
“You’re not wrong. Why don’t we go see if I can sneak a couple of cookies forus.”
Nodding, he grabbed my hand and pulled me through the dense crowd of mourners. The closer we got to the kitchen, the fewer guests we encountered.
Caterers bustled around the ample space, getting out tray after tray of treats. I stopped, pulling Dante back a little when I spotted Mrs. Moretti by the stove.
How do you face the widow of the man you killed?
The sight of her face twisted my insides with guilt. The normally glammed-up goddess was plain-faced, her skin blotchy and her eyes red. Every line of her face had deepened with sorrow, but she fought to give me a small smile.
She spread her arms wide, gesturing with her hands. “Sasha, dear. Come here.”
As wrong as it was, I ran to her. Rosa wrapped her arms around me tightly, her entire presencecalm and collected as if I was the one that needed to be comforted. And as selfish and shitty as it was, I needed that hug.
“I’m so sorry for your loss.” I teared up as I took a step back. I didn’t deserve her warmth and love.
“Thank you. I’m sorry you had to be there, had to see that.” Her sad smile was like a vise on my chest,and I couldn’t take a full breath. The image of my hands wrapped around Mr. Moretti’s neck as he jerked for the last time put me right back in that hotel room, fighting for my life.
Black dots filled my vision,and I sagged against the counter.
“Adriana! Get a chair for Sasha!”
Rosa helped me sit down, her hands rubbing my back in gentle circles. “I’m so sorry, dear. I shouldn’t have mentioned the accident. You must be having a hard time.”
If I wasn’t breathing heavily into the brown paper bag Adriana had handed me, I would’ve laughed. I guess our cover story was a convenient one. No one would question why I wouldn’t talk about that night, why mentioning it would send me into a tizzy.
Survivor’s guilt.
“What’s going on in here?”
Hearing Luca’s voice, I tried to sit up,but Rosa and Adriana kept me hunched over with my head between my knees.
“It’s my fault. I mentioned the accident. I wasn’t thinking.” Rosa sounded distraught,and all I wanted to do was tell her she had absolutely nothing to be sorry about because I was the problem here. Thinking about why I was the guilty party only made my breathing more labored.
“It’s okay, mom. She’ll be fine.” Large hands replaced Rosa’s small ones on my back. I could just pick up the smell of Luca’s cologne through the paper bag. “Why don’t you guys go out and sit with the family. I can handle this.”
“Are you sure?” Rosa’s voice was thick with worry. Luca squeezed my shoulders,and I guess he must have nodded or something because Rosa continued. “Let me know if she needs anything. Once she’s a little better, take her up to your room for a lie-down.”