To Love A Monster のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 71 - チャプター 80

NicholasYou're no imposter. Ricci confirmed that, but I'm guessing he's regretting that now that you married the wrong son."What are you thinking about?" Valentina asks as we drive back to Nigella's house.I shake my head. "Just processing. He's not what I expected.""Me either. I like him, actually."My phone rings and I glance at the display before hitting answer. "Morning, Nigella.""Morning. Is Valentina with you?""Right here," Valentina says."Good. Just got off the phone from one of Carlisle-Bent's lawyers. I'm guessing you've been to see him?""We have. He works fast," I say."He's sent some preliminary paperwork. Where are you?""We're heading to the house now.""Can you come to the office instead?"I glance at Valentina, who nods. "Sure, shouldn't be a problem.""Great. See you in a little bit.""What did you think of Chandler?" Valentina asks once we disconnect the call."He's a piece of shit and he'll be up to something. If he's cut out completely, at least."Valentina o

NicholasHoratio is still talking. I hear him, but it's background noise."It's how I managed to keep us hidden from the old man. It's how I had enough money to do it."Chandler Carlisle-Bent isn't Valentina's uncle. He's her father.Blood pulses through my veins, pounds against my ears. I want to unhear this. I want it to not be true."I blackmailed Chandler and honestly, he was happy to have her gone. He paid. For nearly two years, he paid."Chandler Carlisle-Bent isn't Valentina's uncle. He's her father."I stopped asking for money after she drowned herself. It took me that long... Jesus Christ."Horatio stops. I look at him, finally, and he looks about a decade older than he did when I walked in here."What are you going to do?" he asks me.I shake my head, turn to the door."Nicholas. She can't know. She can't ever⁠—"I leave.I walk out of that room in stunned, stupid silence. I knew what he'd say. I think I did, at least. It makes sense. It's the only thing that makes sense."N

ValentinaBy the time Nigella and I wrap up, it's evening. I'm tired and wondering where Nicholas is. He's been gone all day and each time I tried to call him, the call went right to voicemail.Now, sitting beside Hamish in the SUV, I swear there's a more direct route to the house than the one he's taking. When I ask him about it, though, he tells me there's traffic.I'm glad to see when we get to the house that a light is on downstairs and the SUV Nicholas took earlier is parked on the driveway. I hurry inside, shivering in the cold, cloudy night. The rain of earlier has become snow as the temperatures have dropped, and I watch fat flakes fall. It's only supposed to be a dusting tonight, though."Nicholas?" I call out, shrugging off my coat and hanging it on the rack by the door. Apart from the light in the living room, the house is dark, and I wonder where he went to work. He doesn't have an office in Boston, as far as I know.I head into the living room and find Nicholas there, cro

ValentinaI drink my glass of wine and pick at the chicken while I sit at the kitchen counter alone, growing more and more annoyed. When Nicholas isn't back by the time I'm done eating, I get up and go into the living room where the fire has long since died down. I crouch down in front of it because Nicholas knows how to build a fire. He used to do it at the Ricci house and at his little cottage all the time. The way the wood is stacked here, though, there's no way it would burn past the few tiny sticks used for kindling. I decide to light it myself while I wait for him to return.The poker leans against the wall where he left it and I pick it up to spread the ashes and charred wood around. That's when I notice partially burnt pieces of several sheets of paper at the very back of the fireplace. I reach for them and pull them out, the parts that are charred flaking off.There are several pages that are stapled together, and half of the stack is unreadable. Well, more than half, but I c

Valentina"Get your hands off my wife."Chandler is surprised, caught, scared even. He didn't expect Nicholas. Me though, had he expected to see me here? How?He does exactly as Nicholas says and lets me go and as soon as he does, I slip away, hurrying to the bathroom because Nicholas lied to me, and I had to learn about his lie from Cielo. He lied when he told me he would always tell me the truth and that is harder to bear than Chandler's malice.I stand at the counter and stare at my reflection. I look much like I did the last time I was here. Tired. Sad. Although a little less lost, I guess. But am I? Am I still trusting men I shouldn't trust? The thought of Nicholas going behind my back hurts. What reason would he have? And why lie to me so quickly after he promised he was different from the others? Promised he'd prove it to me?A toilet flushes and I clear my throat, switch on the water. A woman comes out of a stall, very clearly tipsy, and washes her hands at the sink next to mi