Page 132 of Legacy
Chapter 26
Adriana
Day 5
Ishould be happy he’s barely home.
Really. I should be.
It was the goal, wasn’t it? The space, the silence, the complete and utter absence of Angelo Amato.
And yet—
It stings.
He hasn’t texted.
Doesn’t knock on my door.
Doesn’t even bother with breakfast anymore.
At first, I thought maybe he’d given up.
That this was his version of surrender.
But then I met Clara.
The chef.
She’s… sweet. Mid-thirties maybe, confident, soft-spoken, pretty in that earthy Italian way that makes you feel like you’ve known her for years. The first time I see her, she’s pulling out trays of prepped food from the fridge. Paella. The same one from my first night here.
She empties out the containers and cleans them up.
“I started vacation when you arrived,” she tells me with a warm smile. “I usually prep meals for the week—breakfast and dinner. Angelo likes to heat them up himself.”
Right.
Because he’ssoself-sufficient.
“I can leave some for you too, if you like,” she offers, polite, like she isn’t cutting the last thread of my already frayed dignity.
I swallow that bitter burn in my throat and smile tightly. “That would be nice. Thank you.”
She nods. “Of course.”
Gio walks in just as I’m leaving the kitchen.
I offer him a curt nod, stepping to the side, but he doesn’t move.
He lingers. Blocks the doorway like he owns it.
His dark eyes flick between me and Clara. Calculating.
“Nice of you,” he says flatly, “being so polite to the woman your husband’s slept with.”
The words hit harder than they should. Like a backhand across the face I never saw coming.
I don’t turn around.
