Sarica fought to keep her expression blank, but the way Justina looked at her with pity made it clear that she was doing a really bad job at hiding her feelings.
"I know you still have feelings for my husband—-"
"In name," Sarica heard herself say.
"Excuse me?"
"I have my own ways of finding information, too," Sarica said evenly. "And although I already knew yesterday you were lying about your marriage—-I can't say I didn't welcome actual proof about the real state of your marriage."
"It seems I've underestimated you."
Both of them did,Sarica thought.
Justina obviously saw her as too young to see past her charade while Giancarlo...
I just don't know what to do, God.
The marriage between Giancarlo and Justina had been conducted by a Kivran minister. This might have made it official in most people's eyes, but when one did enough digging, they would soon come to realize that such marriages could only be consummated after a year of courtship...and terminated by something as simple as the husband declaring the whole thing null and void in front of two witnesses.
"But I'm afraid that won't change anything."
Sarica's head jerked up at the sudden coolness of Justina's tone.
"I owe it to Giancarlo to do what's right for him, and while you may not believe me—-what's right for him is to not have you around.Ever."
Sarica had every intention of challenging this.
But she wasn't given a chance, with the car already slowing to a stop, and what she saw outside made her heart nearly stop beating.
"You're putting me on a plane."
"I'm also adding your name to Kivr's blacklist," Justina said calmly, "in case you're thinking of flying back."
"Does Giancarlo know you're doing this?"
Justina met her gaze unflinchingly. "He entrusted you to my care."
No. No. No.
"What do you think that means?"
It was so easy to tell that Justina was not lying, and Sarica could only follow Justina out of the car in a daze.
Why did Giancarlo still want her to leave?
Why?
Security let them pass through one of the private entrances at the side of the airport, and Justina motioned for Sarica to take a seat. "Wait here, please." She needed to look for the immigration officer she had spoken to earlier. The sooner she had Sarica aboard a plane, the sooner it would be better for all—-
No.
Fuck.
No.
Justina saw her worst nightmare come back to life at about the same time Sarica spotted Viktor Biancardi enter the same holding office from another door.
Sarica's mind urged her to run.