Page 57 of Kiss Away Your Pain (Wounded Hearts 2)

By eleven-thirty, we call it a night. I don’t know what hotel she’s staying at, but I can’t let her leave without talking to her. She’s helping her team gather cameras, lights, and cords. I say good night to the models and beeline for Candi.

“Can I talk to you please?” I beg.

She doesn’t look at me. “Not right now. If you want to help, grab those lights on the other side of the pond.” She points, still not looking at me.

I gather the lights and bring them back for her team to pack up.

I touch her arm. “Candi, please. I need to talk to you.”

She recoils her arm, finally looking at me. “I’m working right now, Enzo,” she says, ice coating her words. “I’m at Bernini Palace Hotel. If you want to talk to me there, that’s fine. But plan to be quick because I need to get some sleep before tomorrow.” Apprehension gusts the air.

“What room?”

“Twelve thirty-seven. Excuse me.” She turns and goes back to helping her team pack things up.

I drive straight to her hotel and wait outside her door. And wait.

When she comes down the hall, I lift my back from the wall. We don’t greet each other. She slides in her key and opens the door, tension riding her movements.

Barely into the living area of her suite she turns to me.

“This.” She points furiously back and forth between us with fire in her eyes. “This is why I don’t date people in my industry. Eventually something like this happens and it ruins everything.” Her words barreling out of her, she starts pacing. “My work is impacted which means my reputation is impacted. I need to be fully and completely in my work,” she says, pointing to her chest. She stops pacing and stands in front of me. “And today, my heart hurt so bad I couldn’t even see straight.” These words come out slower, pained, as she places her hand on her heart. Her eyes search mine frantically as her brows pinch together.

My heart pounds in my chest. Her hurt drowning me, suffocating my core.

“This is my dream job. The thing I’ve wanted since I was a little girl. And you’ve tainted it. My mind is so distracted right now. I’m doing the most important, most meaningful job of my career and I can’t even focus.” Her hand still on her heart, her neck jets forward as she raises her other arm with her hand extended. “Did you think…” She places her other hand on her heart like she’s trying to suppress the pain. Her voice softens as she chokes out her next words. “I couldn’t land Gucci on my own?”

As I go to speak, she starts again.

“Never mind,” she says, putting her hands up in surrender. “I don’t want to know. It doesn’t matter.” When she shakes her head, a tear falls from her eye.

I reach out to wipe it, but she turns her head away. “Please just go,” she says, taking Dom’s ring in her fingers. His ghost always with us. She turns away from me, walks into her bedroom, and closes the door.

I didn’t even say a word. I didn’t know what to say. All I wanted to do was make her dream come true. And in one unintentional moment, I stripped away her opportunity to earn her dream job on her own and I managed to have her think I didn’t believe she could. On top of that, she can’t even enjoy her dream job because I fucked it up. My heart squeezes unbearably tight in my chest.Some hero.

I text Anastasia to call me and go to my hotel. About an hour later, my phone rings, waking me.

“Hey.” I rub my eyes, lying in bed.

“Are you sleeping?”

“Yeah, it’s about one AM here.”

“Enzo, I didn’t realize the time difference. I’m sorry.”

“No, no. I asked you to call. I wanted you to call. I need to talk to you.”

“Why? What’s going on? Are you okay?”

“I fucked up.”

“On your job? What happened?”

“No. With Candi. I thought I was doing something good and it blew up in my face. And I don’t know what to do.” I sit up in my bed.

“Oh, Enzo. Tell me what happened.”

“I told you I got this Gucci job and you know getting a Gucci gig is Candi’s dream.”

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