Bibliothek
Suchen
Startseite / The Thirty-Day Divorce / Chapter 4

Teilen

Chapter 4

Ladywoffie
When I went to pick Matteo up from school, he told me Grandma Judith had called him, said she missed him, and asked if he could come stay for a week.

He wanted me to drive him over.

I hesitated for a moment, then took Matteo home to pack a small suitcase.

He was thrilled, chattering away about how Grandpa had promised to fly his remote-control helicopter with him.

I drove Matteo to Grandma Judith's estate.

It sat on the outskirts of the city, iron gates, stone walls, an old house covered in ivy.

The old Vitale estate.

Grandma Judith was waiting for us on the porch.

When she saw me get out of the car, the smile vanished from her face.

"Sweet suffering Jesus," she said, grabbing my hand and pulling me under the porch light. "Isabella, what happened to your face?"

I walked to the mirror in the entry hall and was startled by what I saw.

Sunken eyes, cracked lips, hair a mess like weeds.

These past few days I'd been so busy counting days, signing papers, and replacing furniture that I hadn't really looked in a mirror.

"Haven't been sleeping well," I said, turning around. "Luca didn't tell you anything?"

She shook her head. "He hasn't even called these past few days. What's going on? What happened?"

I nodded, though I didn't plan to explain.

How to break the divorce to the Vitale family was Luca's problem.

Grandma Judith stared at me for a long moment.

She'd lived long enough to understand everything.

She didn't ask again, just pulled me into her arms and patted my back.

I made it back before Dad's birthday.

This year they'd planned to celebrate at the Iron Harbor Hotel, a warm gathering of family and close friends.

The hotel wasn't far from the De Luca house.

Five tables booked, all immediate family and dearest friends.

A lot of people were curious about Luca.

Luckily, Matteo had soccer practice today and wouldn't be at the party.

My parents skillfully dodged every direct question about Luca, until just before the meal began, when Dad stood up to say a few words.

That was when Luca arrived.

He had his men carry in wooden crates.

Inside were twelve bottles of vintage port and a handcrafted hunting knife with the De Luca crest inlaid on the handle.

The gifts were glaringly conspicuous.

Port for the elders, a hunting knife for the family.

The relatives greeted him warmly, still treating Luca as a guest of honor.

Some were even discussing the diamond business he was about to launch in South America.

He waited until Dad finished his birthday speech, then stepped forward.

"Happy birthday, Raimondo," Luca said, presenting the wooden crate.

Dad glanced at it and didn't take it.

"Thank you, Luca, but you didn't need to bother. After all, you and Isabella are getting divorced. I don't want you to feel obligated."

Luca's expression froze.

A ripple of surprise ran through the crowd, then silence.

He said in a low voice, "We're still going through the process—"

Dad shook his head. "Makes no difference."

Luca stood there, his hand still hovering in midair.

No one around said a word.

Even the clink of cups against plates stopped.

Just then Matteo came running in through the door.

Soccer practice had ended early, and Elena had gone to pick him up.

He ran to me, and I bent down to lift him, carried him to the table for food, greeted relatives, chatted and laughed.

A few cousins gathered around, saying how much Matteo had grown, asking how I'd been.

I smiled and said I was fine, my voice steady.

I looked at the room full of relatives and thought back.

In the early years of my marriage to Luca, the two families' birthday banquets had booked entire ballroom floors at the Plaza.

It was synonymous with Upper East Side society parties.

I'd stood by the window back then, looking out at Central Park and the Fifth Avenue skyline, thinking this was forever.

Luca stood over there for a while, then walked over.

He crouched down in front of Matteo, ruffled his hair, said a few words in a low voice, and Matteo laughed.

Luca stood up, came to my side, and kept his voice very low.

"If you've got a temper, aim it at me. Don't take it out on the kid."

I looked at him. "When have I ever taken it out on the kid?"

Luca didn't answer, silent for a few seconds.

"Isabella, maybe... we should put the divorce agreement on hold."
Lies dieses Buch weiterhin kostenlos
Code scannen, um die App herunterzuladen
Vorheriges Kapitel Nächstes Kapitel

Aktuellstes Kapitel

  • The Thirty-Day Divorce   Chapter 10

    Six months later, I saw a photo of Luca holding his marriage certificate on an e-invitation circulating in family circles.I quietly hit like, feeling only curiosity at the turn of events.After that small gesture, Vitale Holdings headquarters started ordering coffee from us regularly, saying the new Donna liked our flavors.I was still thrilled about such a big client when Luca's life took a sharp nosedive.Rumor had it Celeste looked pretty agitated when she stormed into Luca's office.At first she asked about his lunch plans, seeming calm enough.But then, in front of several family representatives and outside investors, she pulled a knife from her bag and demanded to know when he was going to marry her.In the frenzy, she slashed at the desks and chairs, the blade tip leaving a white gash across the conference table.Several investors' faces changed on the spot. Someone stood up and walked out.Bianca described the scene as total chaos.Luca was furious, practically beside himself.

  • The Thirty-Day Divorce   Chapter 9

    On the day we processed the divorce, I waited outside the courthouse for half an hour before Luca rushed over.He wore a dark suit, his tie slightly crooked, as if he'd tied it himself.We exchanged a few brief pleasantries.The process was simple. Sign, get the certificate.Luca seemed a little dazed holding the divorce certificate, his thumb rubbing back and forth over the paper twice, but he quickly pulled himself together.He suggested lunch together."I have other plans," I answered coolly.With that, I walked off without looking back.The moment I stepped outside, I forwarded every photo Celeste had sent me to her husband.Then I went straight to the airport.The ticket was booked in advance. Destination: Sicily.I rented a small house with a terrace in Taormina, slept in every day, strolled by the sea in the afternoons, and ate seafood at little restaurants by the piazza in the evenings.No one called me Donna.No one waited for me to handle family business.No one looked at me

  • The Thirty-Day Divorce   Chapter 8

    Luca's call came fast.He was furious.He asked why I had to take things this far.Even if Celeste was in the wrong, I should have just told her to leave, not laid hands on her.Now it was a mess.If Celeste refused to settle privately and the police got involved, where would the Vitale family's face go?I laughed."Let her call the police. She broke into my house. If she's got skeletons in her closet, that's her problem. Does a mistress really think she can stir up trouble and walk away without paying the price? She said those things in front of Matteo, implying you don't have time for him. Luca, Matteo matters to me. He should matter to you too."Before he could reply, I hung up.Then I sent him a text, declining his invitation to accompany him to the old estate for his father's birthday banquet.After I sent that message, my whole body relaxed.Not long after, Veronica's office called.Celeste had come clean to her husband, Tony, saying she wanted a divorce with a settlement.The tw

  • The Thirty-Day Divorce   Chapter 7

    When the three million dollars hit my account, I was getting ready for my new coffee shop's soft opening.I'd adjusted the store's decor and rolled out some coupons.So far, the response seemed good.Bianca came by for a coffee on her break.She mentioned that Luca had lost the South American mining deal and was scrambling to make connections through intermediaries, but everyone knew a Don who'd betrayed his Donna wasn't worth doing business with.Once the De Lucas pulled back, half the Vitale family's credibility collapsed.Meanwhile, Celeste was showing off a designer bag, pretending to be calm.Obviously Luca's way of placating her.But Celeste's patience was a strategy, a way to get more out of him.This was a seed Luca had planted years ago, and soon he'd have to face the harvest.Take that night at the bar.While Luca and I were drinking, I noticed Celeste hovering outside the window.That night, she sent more provocative photos, even shamelessly showing half her face.I had ever

  • The Thirty-Day Divorce   Chapter 6

    Putting together the scattered bits Bianca had told me, I roughly figured out why Celeste was in such a hurry to have Luca bring her to the family headquarters, and why her attitude had suddenly changed.I was divorcing Luca, and she thought she could slide right into my seat.But once the news spread, other women started circling too.Ambitious ones, powerful ones, plenty of them prettier and smarter than her.When people panic, they have to publicly stake their "claim" and scare off anyone interested in Luca.It wasn't the first time she'd caused a scene, and tonight she was dead set on dragging Luca away from me.She probably realized she'd gone too far.So she used those photos as bait, hoping to push me into confronting Luca, to see how I'd react under pressure and then pull the situation back to her side.Before she sent that disgusting stuff, I couldn't have been bothered.But since she insisted on being a nuisance, I decided to play along.I didn't block her, didn't respond neg

  • The Thirty-Day Divorce   Chapter 5

    Luca opened his mouth, about to say something.I didn't give him the chance."Whatever it is," I said, "it's not happening. The divorce goes on."He looked at me, his lips moving, then closing again.He seemed to finally realize he'd underestimated my resolve.I turned and walked away.Back home, I'd just tossed my keys into the tray by the door when my phone rang.Bianca Falcone.She was the military consultant at Luca's company, from the Falcone family, whose business had always been arms dealing.Bianca was the most restless girl of her generation, blunt, no filter, but I'd always liked her."Hey, you busy?"I said no, and she immediately launched into it, asking if the divorce from Luca was true.I didn't hide it."Is it because of Celeste Moretti?" she pressed.I wasn't sure why she brought up Celeste, but I guessed Luca might have gone public.Hearing my silence, Bianca let out an exaggerated sigh."Oh, Isabella, I knew it was because of that woman! No wonder you haven't brought

Weitere Kapitel

Das könnte dir auch gefallen

Entdecke und lies gute Romane kostenlos
Kostenloser Zugriff auf zahlreiche Romane in der GoodNovel-App. Lade deine Lieblingsbücher herunter und lies jederzeit und überall.
Bücher in der App kostenlos lesen
CODE SCANNEN, UM IN DER APP ZU LESEN
DMCA.com Protection Status