Dacia stiffened. “What do you mean?”
“I thought you guys were maybe seeing each other.”
A wry smirk curled her lips. “We were nothing. Insignificant. Just a passing moment in time, Darla.”
“So where is he now?” Did he return to France or was he still lurking in the city?
“I don’t know,” she whispered. “One day he was here…and the next day he just vanished into thin air.”
The way her expression chilled, I knew the conversation was over.
She straightened to a sitting position and gave me a fake smile. “Let’s put on a movie. I’ll get us snacks and it’ll be a sleepover just like old times.”
“I’d like that.”
Dacia sauntered to the bedroom door. When she opened it, Alberto stood outside with a glass cup in his wrinkling hands, eavesdropping on our conversation with an adorable guilty look on his face. “May I join as well?”
I laughed and Dacia did too, throwing her arms around him and smacking a smooch on his cheek. “My big Berto. You are always welcomed.”
It was nice to know some things never changed.
Diane Hill summoned us the next evening.
My sister and I settled on a beige sofa in the living room with green tea and snacks.
“How are you feeling?” Dacia asked while handing me a plate of butter cookies.
“Still in pain, but better than yesterday.” The skin around my wound was so tender and felt like it stretched anytime I attempted to walk.
“Good that’s—” Dacia suddenly froze.
Frowning, I followed her line of sight and almost choked on my cookie when I saw Diane standing at the room’s threshold. Red eyes. Messy blond bob. Wrinkled pink pyjamas.
She was unkempt for once in her life. Nearly unrecognizable in her state.
In her hands, she held a crate.
Trudging into the room, she lowered herself to the sofa parallel to ours and deposited the crate on the coffee table. Her eyes cascaded over me eagerly. “H-how are you feeling?”
“I’m okay.” I eyed her skeptically, noting her slight stutter. “Are you?”
Her face crumpled. “No. I willneverbe okay with one of you in harm’s way.”
This wasn’t her usual monologues or city hall speech. This was a breaking point and watching her struggle to speak her true feelings was a humbling experience.
My sister and I remained quiet while Diane inhaled a deep breath and rushed out, “This is all my fault. Everything we’ve built crumbled to the ground because of my inability to stand up where it mattered.”
We didn’t see eye to eye often; however, there were two things we were all fond of. Our women-run empire, and the Hill women who came before us and laid a foundation for our dynasty.
“I never should have caved when Zeno asked for your hand in marriage. Had I not, you wouldn’t have been shot.” Her eyes glistened with unshed tears. “You have no idea what getting that call did to me—it wrecked me. I’m so sorry I failed you, Darla.”
Maybe I was a softie because heat unfurled in my chest hearing her describe her reaction. I knew Dacia was right when she said Diane did truly love us. She just had a crappy way of showing it.
Furthermore, the change Dacia was talking about?
I could see it.
“It’s not your fault that I got shot.” As we all knew, Benjamin De la Croix pulled the trigger. “And like I said, I am okay.”