The Don's Trust

Chapter 31

A day had passed by since Vito got apprehended by the police. Valentina just got off the phone with Camila to check if she had any updates on Vito. Her actions were to no avail; no one heard a single thing. The only thing everyone knew was yesterday's events that Valentina communicated to them. Feeling restless, she decided to go to a nearby park in an attempt to escape reality.

She stepped out of the house and took a moment to observe the area. She replayed the entire scene in her head. Valentina wrapped her arms around herself and stared ahead of her in a daze. She knew of the crimes Vito committed, but that didn't make her any less upset.

Not much later, Valentina reached her destination. She walked along the stone pathway, surrounded by towering trees and vivid beds of flowers. There wasn't any litter on the ground and even the grass was well kept. Valentina always knew she and Vito lived in a prosperous neighbourhood, but she never paid much attention to it.

The longer she kept herself moving, the more her thoughts became a blur. If it was any other person who got arrested, Valentina wouldn't be lying awake at night, but it wasn't any other person. It was Vito. The man she cherished with all her heart.

Vibrations went through her leg as her phone rang. Quickly, she got it out of her pocket to see who was calling her. Valentina's shoulders sagged when she didn't see Camila's name on the screen. No update on Vito. Instead, it was Lilly phoning her.

''Lilly? What is it?'' Valentina heard her sniffing.

''I need to talk to you, Valentina. I can't keep it to myself anymore.''

''What do you need to say? I can come over. Tell me where you are.''

Lilly shook her head, ''No, I don't want to say it here. I'll have someone take over my shift. Where are you now? I'll come over to you. I don't want the other workers listening in.''

''In that case, I'm at the park. I'll text you how to get here.''

''Okay, I'll try to be there as fast as possible.''

Right before hanging up, Valentina could hear her friend blowing her nose. It looked like her friend was going through a tough time. Valentina didn't have the heart to turn her friend down even if she wasn't completely herself today.

Lilly kept true to her word and met up with Valentina. The girl needed someone to tell of her burdens.

''I don't really know where to start, you know,'' Lilly shifted her weight from one foot to another, ''But I just can't. I can't take it any longer. My father, he is- he's...''

Valentina's mind immediately went back to her first time meeting Finn Belote. While Vito already told her the possibility of Lilly's father working in the underworld, Lilly didn't know. At least, that was what Valentina thought.

''He is in prison. It happened a week ago,'' Lilly covered her face with her hands, ashamed to see Valentina's reaction.

Valentina stopped in her tracks, ''Wait, a week ago? When you called me about doing the right thing? Lilly did you...?'' Valentina took Lilly's silence as confirmation, ''Don't tell me it was your father who you reported. Was it because of the stacks of bills we found?''

''Of course, it was! He is a criminal.''

''But Lilly...he's also your father. Aren't you regretting your decision? Isn't that why you came to me?'' Valentina reached over to Lilly, wanting to comfort her.

Lilly dropped her hands from her face and put distance between herself and Valentina, ''I- I don't know, Valentina. What do you want me to say? Do you think I'll forgive everything he does because he is my father?''

''No, I never said anything about forgiveness.''

Lilly shook her head, ''I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything. I can't expect you to know what it's like, you know. Valentina, listen carefully. My father didn't own the money. It wasn't really his, it was cash he had to launder from dangerous people that gave him orders. He might be my father, but it's better to keep him at a distance. I haven't talked to him since he went to prison. He isn't the dad I thought he was.''

Lilly painted a very black and white picture. Something that didn't reflect what she actually felt, but what it did reflect was her course of action. The extent to which Lilly would go through to stick to her own morals was something Valentina could never truly relate with.

''Dangerous people?'' Valentina could feel the pulse in her veins speeding up.

Lilly covered her mouth before saying, ''The detective I talked with said my father worked for the mafia or something like that. This is serious, Valentina. It's bad.''

To Valentina, it felt like the world around her stood still. She couldn't fathom what she was hearing. It was Lilly who set the events leading up to Vito's arrest in motion.

''Lilly,'' Valentina choked.

''What? I know what you're thinking. That I'm crazy. Do you remember when I called you to ask if you would hide the truth if it meant saving someone and that person was bad? You didn't give the right answer. It's good my father is in prison. He broke the law. I just want them to catch whoever he worked for as well.''

I don't. I don't want that at all, but they already did. Valentina thought.

Valentina's palms formed into fists and her breathing got heavier. She knew to walk away from Lilly before she said anything she would regret later on.

''I just remembered, I have somewhere to be.''

Lilly's mouth fell open, ''You're kidding me. I thought I could rely on you, but you're going?''

''Don't take it the wrong way, Lilly. I need to be away from you now.''

Lilly clung onto the sleeves of Valentina's shirt, ''What? I didn't say anything wrong. I don't see why you're the one getting upset here. He's a filthy criminal, just like the people he works with. You can't blame me for wanting people like that to be locked up. They're just low people who don't deserve-''

''Stop it, Lilly.''

Valentina wasn't one to justify Vito's sins, but listening to someone insult him as a person was something she wouldn't take. She pushed Lilly's hands off her and turned her back to her.

''I'm going.''

This would be marked as the last time Valentina and Lilly came face to face with each other. Their falling out had a lasting impact on their friendship.