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Chapter Twenty-Six

My hands, sweaty and nervous, clutch my cell phone as I wrestle with the thought of calling Matteo, just to make sure he's alright.

He'll be upset. You said you'd let him go.

But, I can't. I can't just do that, not after seeing what happened tonight. He's obviously going through a lot more than he's letting on.

You're acting like a lunatic.

I don't care.

I press call and lift the phone to my ear, biting my lip. It rings twice and I consider hanging up. Maybe he won't know it's me.

Caller-id, stupid.

"Hello?"

I gape slightly, shocked to hear a woman's voice. I look back at the number, seeing it is actually Matteo's. I bring it back to my ear, slowly, carefully. This has the potential to destroy me.

"Hello?" she says, again, at my silence.

"Is- I'm calling for Matteo? But I think I have the wrong number."

"Oh, no. He's here... In the shower."

I stare ahead, out the window. My blood runs cold. Ice cold.

"Oh."

"Is this Emma?"

I know who it is immediately. "Wendy."

"I tried to warn you," she says, dully.

I'm shaking, with anger, with rage. "Please don't let him know I called."

"Will do," she answers and hangs up. I close my eyes tightly and throw the device against the wall, as hard as I can and I finally feel it.

I finally feel the end of us.

                                             * * * *

"So, I decided to forgive you," Veronica says as I hold my door open, without a smile.

"Forgive me?"

"Yes, I know you're in pain and don't want to speak to me. However, it's been two weeks now."

"My phone is broken." I close the door, walking to the kitchen as she sets down her purse on the counter. She looks great, dressed in a pencil skirt, yellow blouse, tall heels. I, however, look like a bum.

"You look terrible... You're obviously not eating. You're pale, probably haven't left this place at all... am I right?"

"Yes," I whisper, reaching for the tea pot. I begin to prepare the water without asking her.

"Emma, I'm going to tell you something and please know it's only because I love you."

"Do you have to?"

"He did not deserve you."

I close my eyes. "Stop."

"No, you're going to listen to me. You, obviously, gave him your all and he hasn't called. He let you go. He wasn't good enough for you... he didn't have it in him to man up."

"You know nothing about him, Veronica. So, don't presume to know his problems. I know why he's gone and it's not because he didn't love me."

"Then why?"

"Because he wants to be miserable. He wants to hate himself."

"But did he tell you he loved you?"

"No," I whisper, looking down.

"Well, instead of sitting here, go to his apartment, bang on the door, shout at him, scream. Maybe that will make you feel better. Maybe it will knock some sense into him.

"I tried to call," I get out, resting the tea pot on the stove.

"You did? When?"

"I even went to his show. We ended things there, well, he did. But then he completely lost it on stage and stormed off so, naturally, I called later that night, wanting to make sure he was okay..."

She closes her eyes, groaning. "Please don't tell me-"

"Yep, he was with someone."

"That rat bastard," she growls, shaking her head. "Oh, Em, I'm so sorry."

"I know he loves me but now, I won't go after him. I won't try to save him. He's fucked up. I can't fault him in some things, but he didn't need to screw the first thing in sight."

"Damn right."

I sniffle, grabbing spoons. "Do you have the number of the guy Michael spoke to... with the magazine? I-I need to get ahold of him."

Veronica smiles, admirably. "There you are."

                                             ****

"Mom, we need to get these and hurry to catch this movie," I get out, looking through my purse for my receipt I forgot I threw in.

"I don't even want to. Let's just go to dinner."

I look around, making sure Danny's still in the bathroom. "Mom, Danny's song is in this movie. We have to go."

"But it's a crime movie. You know how I hate those. There's a new Nicholas Sparks-"

"Ma."

Danny smiles wide, approaching us, holding our coffees in a carrier. "I managed to snatch them on my way back."

"What would we do without you?" my mother says fondly as he bends down, kissing my lips gently. I pull back, clearing my throat.

"Alright, let's do this," I hum, shuffling through the mobbed café.

"Reporter girl! Um, Emma? Emma?"

I turn, glancing around. My eyes settle upon a man, a young man with blonde hair. I blink as he comes towards us, leaving a bald handsome man at his table. I freeze as he gets closer, realizing it's the man from Matteo's company... the man I ran into the first night I met him. God, what's his name? James? Jerry? Jacob.

"Jacob," I smile, surprised when he leans in for a hug. He laughs, pulling back.

"You're good with names."

"So are you, it seems. God, how long has it been since I saw you?" I smile.

"Well over six months by now."

I blink, reflectively. Has it really been that long? I sigh, shaking my head. "The time just flies these days."

"Yeah, tell me about it."

He looks between my mother and Danny and I gasp. "Oh, I'm sorry! This is my mom, Harriet, and-and um, my fiancée, Danny."