Never Letting Go

Chapter 38

"He has a what now?"

"He has a daughter," I say more slowly. I don't know how many times I've said the same thing to her since we got home. It doesn't even matter how many times I say it, I'm still in shock.

How can he have a child and not tell me? Why would he even think of having a child with someone despite claiming that all he could think about was me over the past nine years?

I'm so confused.

"I need a drink," Allison says, pushing away from the worktop and over to the cupboard near the fridge.

"It's not even four o'clock."

"Does it really matter about the time?" She places two glasses down in front of me and opens the bottle of vodka she has in her other hand. She pours the clear liquid into both glasses then fills the rest of the glasses with some Diet Coke. "I need something to numb the shock."

"You need something to numb the shock whereas I need something to help get my brain functioning once more."

She slides a glass closer to me. "Then drink up because you will need a hell of a lot of these in order to do that."

I eye the drink then look at Allison as she downs almost her entire drink in the one go. She slams the glass down and groans before refilling the glass with more vodka. I narrow my eyes at her and she looks at me.

"It's not strong enough," she enlightens, answering my unasked question.

I laugh and push away from the worktop. I pick up my glass and walk over to the living room, placing the glass on the coffee table. I turn on the spot, ready to say something to Allison, but don't as the sound of someone knocking on the door fills the silent flat.

"That damn well better not be that dickhead wanting to speak to you," Allison says, moving to answer the door.

I'm bracing myself for it to be Luca or one of his people to be standing at the other side of the closed door as I follow Allison. If he was smart enough, he wouldn't come here so soon after what went down at his house. He wouldn't risk it with Allison being here.

I make it into the hall as Allison opens the front door, revealing no one standing there but a vase filled with soft pink and white roses sitting on the floor. I approach Allison and look down at the flowers.

"Same as the ones he first gave to you," Allison grumbles, pointing to the vase of flowers that are dying on the side table.

I reach down to the flowers and pick up the card that's attached to them. I open the card and read it.

I'm sorry.

Please don't hate me for how I told you about my daughter.

I will give you time to try and make sense of this but I would

like it if we could meet up so I can explain everything.

I don't want to lose you, not after just getting you back.

Luca

x

"I'll see it when I believe it that he'll tell you everything," Allison says.

"I'm not going to see him," I tell her. "I don't want to see him. Not yet anyway."

I pick the flowers up and walk back into the kitchen, placing them on the worktop along with the card before walking back to the living room. I flop down onto the couch and pick my glass up.