Chapter 3

In truth, things between Lorenzo and me weren’t always like this.

Back when we started dating, Lorenzo was just an analyst at a firm in Manhattan.

More than anyone, Loren was dying to prove that he could make VP before the age of thirty without his family’s shadow.

The first thing he did when his bonus cleared was take me to look at the townhouses in Williamsburg, mapping out our future on the blueprints.

At the time, his eyes were full of hope for our future.

That changed when Gianna’s father passed away three years ago.

Though Gianna’s brother had blown off the family’s entire fortune, Gianna kept up with her lavish lifestyle.

Spoiled rotten, Gianna had properties across the globe, endless designer bags, the latest sports cars, and millions in fine jewelry.

Gianna would go to Lorenzo for whatever she wanted.

No matter how much Lorenzo made, it was never enough to meet Gianna’s endless demands.

Eventually, he started helping Matteo deal with the family’s more unsavory business.

Each time Lorenzo returned home injured, I knew that he had taken up another job for Gianna.

Drawing a deep breath, I dialed my old college professor’s number.

“Professor Green, do you still have an opening at the polar observatory in Iceland?”

Tyler Green sounded grim. “Yes, but the security clearance is high. Once you’re in, it’ll be at least three years before you can leave. You’ll be off the grid the whole time. Are you ready for that?”

“I am.”

Tyler paused for a bit. “You were against going before. Are you going because you dumped the kid?”

My tears well up. “Yes.”

While I dragged my suitcase out of the apartment building, a sports car pulled up by the road.

The car window wound down.

Gianna sat there. She was supposed to meet the broker tonight to raise the bid on the Tribeca penthouse, but the meeting was moved to tomorrow morning out of the blue. Annoyed, Gianna came by Lorenzo’s apartment to pick up a bottle of red wine promised to her. To her surprise, she ran into me walking out with my suitcase.

With her gaze shifting to my luggage, Gianna raised a brow and chuckled.

“What’s this? Leaving in the middle of the night?”

The wind in Brooklyn at one in the morning whipped my hair around my face.

I smiled. “How am I supposed to make room for you if I don’t go?”

She pushed the car door open and stepped out, her arms folded. “Don’t go around, saying that I come between you two. It’s ridiculous. Lorenzo wants to spend money on me. How is that my fault?”

Gianna paused, her tone flippant. “You’re just a sad little thing. Once, he got drunk and told me that he would have never settled for you if I hadn’t turned him down. Stop acting as if I stole him from you. You wouldn’t stand a chance if I were game.”

The night breeze dried out my eyes.

I wasn’t upset in the slightest.

All I could think of was how absurd the last five years had been.

I smiled indifferently. “Cheers to the happy couple. I hope you stay together forever.”

My response caught Gianna off guard.

She was probably used to my tears, accusations, and hysterics. My composure only frustrated her to no end.

As I turned on my heel, Gianna grabbed the strap of my suitcase. “Hang on there. Who gave you permission to leave? Lorenzo is lying in a hospital bed, and I’m not tending to him. You need to take care of him.”

“Let go.”

Instead of releasing her grip, Gianna pulled out her phone and got Lorenzo on a video call.

She put on teary eyes the moment the screen lit up, her voice shaking. “Lorenzo… Did I upset Naomi again? I was going to invite her to check out the penthouse you bought me, but she packed her bags to leave. She won’t visit you, and I can’t hold her back…”

Lorenzo’s face was discolored on the screen, his arm wrapped in bandages.

He didn’t even bother to ask why I was on the streets of Brooklyn with my bags in the dead of the night or whether I was freezing.

Lorenzo furrowed his brows, his voice resigned. “Naomi, what’s this now? Didn’t we sort things out on the phone? Don’t give Gianna a hard time and come to the hospital now.”

I stood in the biting wind.

Tyler’s words came to mind. “The security clearance for Iceland is tight. Hand me your passport first thing in the morning so I can start the paperwork.”

All my vital documents were with Lorenzo.

Today was the day we would set our wedding date.

We were supposed to head to city hall to file for marriage, so my document holder was with him last night.

The holder was sitting right on his nightstand beside his hospital bed.

I stared at him through the screen, my tone light. “Fine. I’ll be right there.”