Page 132 of 7+Us Makes Nine

ed, I lowered my head, seeing a trickle of Brad’s blood on my shoe.

CHAPTER 21

Arianna

I closed my eyes and raised my head to the sky, praying for patience. When I reopened my eyes, the full moon, sitting high in the sky stared back at me. I almost wanted to laugh. Was it true what they said about full moons turning people crazy?

Clearly, that was the case for the man standing before me.

As I looked at Giovanni, I saw that he looked worse for wear. His normally pretty eyes had dark circles under them, it looked like he hadn’t shaven, and despite the circumstances, he looked embarrassed of himself. But it didn’t matter. I felt no sympathy for him.

I let out a long and slow breath. “Giovanni—what the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“I could ask you the same,” he said in a low voice, although he avoided my gaze.

I laughed mirthlessly. “What I’m doing is none of your business. You and I are over. We are done. The engagement is no more. So again—what the hell do you think you’re doing? What right do you have to act like this? What is wrong with you?”

Giovanni shook his head. “Unbelievable,” he said. “I…I can’t even deal with you right now.”

He turned his back to me and proceeded to walk away.

“Don’t you dare walk away from me without an explanation!” I screamed.

Giovanni turned back to me. “You have a lot of nerve, you know that? If anyone deserves an explanation, it’s me! But then again, I guess I got my explanation already, didn’t I? I guess that bastard who had his hands all over you is the explanation, right? What was his name again? Brad?”

I was so angry at his hypocrisy that I couldn’t even form the words to express it. I swore and turned around. Now it was my turn to walk away. I didn’t feel like engaging him in this irrational argument.

“Yeah, just walk away,” he yelled after me. “Maybe it’s for the best anyway. I can see that you’re just as unreasonable as my father. Neither of you knows the meaning of talking things out. It’s either your way or the highway, and you can’t be bothered to even explain shit to anyone. You just leave people behind, lost. Go figure he wanted you as a daughter so badly. You’re just two peas in a pod.”

I wanted so badly to just let his words roll off me, but I couldn’t. Not only did they sting, but they halfway made no sense. I turned back around to look at him. I threw my hands up in exasperation. “Honestly, what the hell does any of that mean?”

Before either of us could say anything further, a group of club-goers crossed our paths, entering the club.

Giovanni glanced at me and then rounded the building, and somehow, I intuitively knew he wanted me to follow him. I rounded the building, the two of us coming to a stop in the alley behind it.

Giovanni turned toward me with his arms folded. “I know the engagement is over, but can you at least have the decency to tell me why? I have no idea what went wrong.”

“It’s because everything you do in the dark comes out in the light,” I said. “I know about your other woman—and it wouldn’t even surprise me if there are more than one. I knew your type straight from the start. I just regretted being stupid enough to fall for you.”

Giovanni laughed and shook his head. “Wow…You really are delusional, aren’t you?”

“Asshole.”

“What other woman, Arianna? Because since you’ve come into the picture, you’ve been the only one.”

“Wow. I can’t believe you’re such a smooth liar.”

“I’m not lying!”

“I saw you with my own eyes! Surprise! I was at the club last night, and I saw you with that long-legged bimbo!”

I watched his face twist in confusion, and I waited to see if he was honestly going to have the audacity to dispute what I’d seen.

“I saw you here last night. And I was about to introduce you to…Oh…wait…” he paused for an instant, and a genuine smirk began to spread across his face. “I get it now. Maria.”

I grimaced. “Is that her name?”

He nodded. “Yes. And she also happens to be my cousin.”

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