CHAPTER 105: OPPOSITE SIDES

Valentina had officially glued the first photos into the photo album, when the door opened.

Sonia walked into the room holding a big shopping bag.

"I don’t smell male. Thank God," Valentina joked without looking up from her work.

"Val, I bring shopping."

Valentina’s head whipped behind speedily, and her eyes enlarged when she saw Sonia holding on to a very big bag.

"Well come over then." She beckoned to her.

Sonia’s face brightened with a wide smile, as she dropped to the floor with the bag.

"Everything you ask for, I buy."

In her excitement, she pulled out the laptop.

"This one too!" She showed it off like an excited kid would show off their new hair.

Valentina tittered in amusement. "Wait, don’t tell me the soap operas are really there."

"Five, and many Chapter. Carpo give me the laptop, and I go to IT in Neravalle. They put all inside it," she explained.

"Oh my God! When I asked for that, I was just being dramatic. I didn’t really think it would be granted. Thanks a lot, Sonia."

"No," she shook her head. "Thank carpo. He pay for everything."

Valentina’s smile did not falter as she leaned in to hug Sonia. "Still, thank you."

However, the smile didn’t remain when she woke up the next morning with heavy cramps, and a bloody pad.

She muttered her gratitude for having the initiative to wear one to bed the previous night, and then truly began her day.

Two hours later, Valentina had the laptop in front of her, snacks littered all around her on the bed, whilst she bawled her eyes out.

She fast-forwarded the scenes to the bits where the heroine was going through a whole lot, just so she could cry alongside.

Despite the ice cubes, and heat pads, this was what soothed her cramps the most. And she could never understand why.

Across, to the other wings of Neravalle, Luciano sat in his office, his mind too distracted to focus on work.

He rubbed his temple to provide relief for the ache in his head, knowing that wasn’t really going to do much.

The truth laid in the facts he stubbornly refused to admit.

Perhaps, because he had made a promise to someone he loved deeply. And his word was his bond.

When rubbing his temples didn’t work, he started to drum with the pen.

It only provided him with more ache, so he stopped.

"Why are you tormenting me?" He questioned as an image of Valentina floated into the air.

The truth he refused to admit was his concern. Someone who had a whole list of what they needed to relieve pain had to be in serious pain.

He truly wondered how she was doing.

A knock on the door startled him.

The door opened just as he gathered himself together in pretense of concentration.

"I’ve been looking around for you." Vittorio took the seat across from him.

"Word?"

"Yeah. You good?"

"Sure, why?"

He shrugged. "Just asking."

"I’m good bro. But there’s something. Chris suddenly told me that he was leaving. He insists he wants to be in the States for a while. Did something happen?"

"Don’t know. Maybe he really just wanted a break," he lied through his teeth.

There was no point mentioning the altercation.

Salvatore’s sudden shot on the wall had been explained as Salvatore being Salvatore.

It was best to keep the details within the walls.

"Then everything is good. I just have some work to do before this evening’s training session."

They both continued to play the avoidance game.

"Then I should leave you alone." He rose to his feet.

"Are you sure you’re okay, Vitto? Nothing is bothering you? Nothing you may want to share?" He lifted an inquiring brow.

Vittorio’s mind went straight to the kiss yesterday.

How could he even begin to spill that any of that had happened?

It was his biggest dilemma. One which propelled him to lie by omission again.

"No, everything is cool. And you? There’s a few wrinkles on your forehead. Sure it’s nothing?"

"Yeah, it’s truly nothing," Luciano said.

It wasn’t easy for him either to tell his best friend that he couldn’t concentrate because he was worried about the same woman he was supposed to be staying away from.

"I’ll see you later."

Vittorio walked out of the room, and the moment the door closed, Luciano released a breath of relief.

He reclined into his seat, and went back to rubbing his temple, whilst worrying about Valentina.

Valentina was crying so hard, her body trembled.

Her stomach squeezed violently when the heroine dropped to the ground of her parents grave, crying her eyes out.

"I can’t even do that," she said through a hoarse, broken voice.

The fire had consumed her parents body, never to be seen again.

In her sorrowful reaction to the heroine who mirrored her life experience, she didn’t hear the door open, until Sonia spoke.

However as she lifted her head, there was only one thing she could say. "I finished my snacks." And then she burst into tears again.

Sonia’s eyes widened in disbelief. Until she remembered she had bought only a few snacks because she thought Valentina was exaggerating the amount she wanted.

Without saying another word, she turned right around, and went in search of Luciano.

"She no have even one snack. She eat only the snack all day," she explained to him when she found him in his office.

"You have the house card right? Use it and shop for more. Bring them to me when you’re done shopping."

She bowed, and walked out of the room in a hurry.

Luciano sighed. He noticed Sonia had avoided saying a lot about how Valentina was doing. But eating snacks alone couldn’t be a good sign.

He ran a hand through his hair, as his worry grew beyond reasoning.

Thirty minutes later, Sonia arrived with a whole bag.

It took ten seconds for Luciano to make a decision. Damning the promise he made, but only out of troubling curiosity.

He arrived at the door to the room of whispers with the bag in his hand, and a weight on his chest.

One knock on the door, and he waited.

Through her heavy tears, Valentina yelled at the top of her voice. "Come in!"

His heart pounded as he walked into the room, and shut the door behind him.

Luciano didn’t move. He just stood with his back to the door, and the snack bag in his hands.

In about five seconds, he fully expected Valentina to go off on him for his presence in her room.

Much to his surprise, she didn’t stop crying. Neither did she turn her face away from him.

"The aunt is so wicked. She plotted everything. How could she be so wicked to her own family?" She said, as she cried uncontrollably.

Luciano continued to watch her silently. Just content, seeing her face.

After a little while of just watching her, he walked forward, and placed the bag on the bed.

He turned around right after, and walked out of the room.

Valentina’s head landed on the pillow, as her cries intensified.

The cathartic release she had hoped for didn’t come.

Instead, her tears moved from pity when the image of the heroine in her head disappeared, and in place was her life.

Her real life.