Chapter 85
Antonio’s friends didn’t hang around after dropping him off. They made up quick excuses and left.
Fuming with anger. Antonio stormed up to the second floor, straight to Grace’s old room, and growled at the butler, “Get rid of everything in here, burn it all! And if Grace shows up again, keep her out!”
The butler, catching on to Antonio’s foul mood, replied cautiously, “Sir. before she left, she’d already cleared out her things. The room’s empty now. She gave me the keys, and her prints have been removed. She won’t be getting back in…”
Each word from the butler seemed to darken Antonio’s mood. The butler’s voice trembled, becoming weaker as his fear grew.
Antonio didn’t wait for the butler to finish and kicked the door open.
He scanned the room, completely bare, not even a hair out of place as if it were brand new.
The sight of the pristine room only stoked his anger.
“Where’s all her stuff? Did she take it with her?”
“She burned what she could and threw away the rest. Her personal belongings are disposed of. Anything from the old place is stored away.”
Antonio’s face turned livid at this, and he was about to lose it when hist phone rang
Seeing the caller ID, he remembered he’d left Livia hanging, and his anger surged.
Chapters
But he kept his cool, at least for her, and after a moment, he answered. “Livia, I’m sorry, something’s come up. I can’t make it today…”
Livia cut him off, “It’s fine. Antonio. I’m calling to say I’m leaving. I’m about to catch a flight.”
Antonio’s heart clenched at this. “Catch a flight? Where are you going?”
There was a hint of anxiety in Livia’s voice. “Back to Blenia. Braxton and I have made up. I’m going back to him. Thanks for everything. Goodbye.”
Her words hit Antonio like a ton of bricks.
He couldn’t hold back his frustration and yelled, “Made up? What’s so great about him? I’ve given you everything, and you’d pick him over me? Why don’t you give me one more chance?”
There was a pause, and then Livia’s voice, heavy with regret, came. through. “I’m sorry. Antonio. I can’t get over him. I know you care about me. but I’ve only ever seen you as my best friend. Love is real. It can’t be faked or forced. Just get over me.”
Once again rejected. Antonio felt a lump in his throat, unable to speak.
He heard some commotion in the background, and through the noise, Livia said she had to board the plane, and the call ended.
Staring at his phone as the screen went dark, Antonio felt a brand new wave of frustration wash over him.
He tossed the phone over the railing, slammed the door, and locked himself in this empty room.
Once the footsteps died away, silence fell.
Feeling drained, he leaned on the wall, made it to a chair, and fell into it.
Though Grace was gone, the room still held a faint scent.
It was the perfume Grace always wore.
The fragrance soothed his frayed nerves and sleepiness set in.
Leaning back in the chair, Antonio drifted off to sleep.
Chapter86
When Antonio woke up. night had fallen, and the room was as dark as a cave without a single light on.
After Antonio woke from his dream, a flood of memories overwhelmed him, leaving him utterly drained.
He covered his face and called out without thinking, “Grace, turn on the lights and make some coffee.”
The silence around him was deafening. No one answered.
It hit him then that Grace was gone too.
Everyone was gone, leaving him all by himself.
A wave of loneliness washed over Antonio, heavy and all–encompassing.
He got up, feeling his way through the dark to the wine cellar. Then he had some boxes of booze brought out.
His years of drinking had toughened him up, but his stomach was paying the price. Just a few bottles in, and it felt like his gut was on fire.
He curled up on the floor, his forehead dotted with cold sweat, and a pained moan escaped his lips.
The servant, seeing he was in agony, rushed to help him to the sofa and started searching for medicine.
Yet, Grace was the only one who knew where the meds were, and with them locked away, the servant, unable to find them, grabbed the phone to call 911.
