by M. D. Melai
Then the front door opened and closed and he was gone. Even though I was mad at him, I still wished he would have at least stayed with me. For now, I guess I would head downstairs and clean up the kitchen.
I spent the rest of the day sulking, eating ice cream, and watching movies. I thought about this being a daily routine, but knew this would get old really quick. I had to come up with something else to do.
That night I didn’t come out of my room, even when everyone came home from work. Violet brought me some dinner and said that I had to eat, even though I insisted that I wasn’t hungry.
She sat with me as I ate and told me about her day. She said that having Dante there was nice, but she didn’t know how this whole situation with Elle was going to work out.
“She’s already driving me crazy,” Violet complained as I took the last bite of my fettuccini alfredo she had made for dinner.
“This really sucks, Vi. I just wish I could be there to help you out. I know things will be extremely busy now that we have reopened our doors.”
“You’re telling me. I don’t know how many phones calls I got today, or how many visitors I had. Oh and by the way, we need to find a new supplier. I don’t think you want to keep using Faith.”
“Definitely not! I’ll look into that tomorrow. You just focus on the clients and I’ll try to get all the details nailed out.”
“This is going to be one long process. I wonder how long they are expecting us to live like this,” she stated.
“I have no idea, but I hope it’s not long. Maybe once things quiet down it’ll get better. Like my mother told us, we have to let them do their job and trust that they are getting this settled,” I said, trying really hard to believe my own words.
“But how do we know that they are going to get a handle on all of this?” she asked.
“I don’t know.” I shrugged. “I guess we just have to wait and see.”
Violet stayed for a little bit longer before she left. Today had been tough on her and I knew she needed her rest.
I, on the other hand, stayed awake most of the night thinking of what I would be doing tomorrow. Day one of purgatory sucked. I wondered what day two would bring.
Chapter 4
After the first week of Elle being me, she moved in. Emilio and Dante tried to explain that it was necessary—otherwise, it would look suspicious if she left every night and came back the next morning.
In turn, Violet had to give up her room. She put up a fight and after an hour of yelling between her and Dante, she gave in and moved into my room. I was happy that at least at night I had a companion, but I really needed her during the day too.
Most of my days consisted of cleaning, doing laundry, and cooking all the meals, but for at least an hour or more a day, I did self-defense training. Lorenzo and Paolo developed a workout schedule for me.
Before, I had only been taught simple moves and how to adapt to attack drills, but now my training was more extensive and intense. My favorite moments were when I was able to slip on a pair of boxing gloves and punch the shit out of the bag. It was the best feeling in the world and helped me expel my anger.
Emilio tried to come home as often as possible, but he really needed to be at work. Violet would come home every day and eat lunch with me. Most of our conversations were about Elle, and Violet complained about how she was taking her new role too seriously.
Elle would suggest ideas, but mostly she would ask Violet why she did things a certain way. Violet would frustratingly tell her that she and I had everything under control and we didn’t need her help.
I felt bad for Violet and apologized for not being there to help her out. She would just tell me that it was no big deal and that she was handling things.
Violet and I worked hard every evening. All of our clients were excited to hear our hiatus was over and that we were back to work.
The first week back, we had two projects that needed our immediate attention. A hair salon wanted to extend, and a new hotel wanted us to do their lobby and restaurant décor. Violet had made it to each location and talked with the clients, took pictures, and measured the space.
Thankfully they were small projects, because my father added on more work by acquiring two new buildings. I was hesitant about taking on my father’s projects, because of everything I now knew about him. I didn’t know how he acquired them and I felt a little uncomfortable about taking them on, but in the end, my mother’s voice rang in my ears and reminded me to go about life as usual, and so I did.
“Violet, are you sure you can handle all of this?” I asked as we sat at my desk going over the details of the buildings.
“I know it’s a lot,” Violet began, “but we used to handle five or six projects at a time. We can do this. As long as you stay in touch with the owners and do everything you can from the house, I’ll work extra hard to make sure everyone is staying on schedule. I know we can get this done, no matter how unconventional it is.”
“I just don’t want you to get overwhelmed. I feel really shitty about being cooped up in this house while you’re at the office having to deal with everyone, including Elle. I know she’s not really helping out very much.”
“No, she isn’t. All she does is stand there and sometimes she walks around a bit. I asked her once to take a few pictures, you know make it look like she is actually doing work, and she screwed that up! I mean, how hard is it to take a picture, seriously?” Violet complained.
“Well, it does take a special person to screw that up,” I said right before we heard a crash come from the other side of the house.
Violet and I looked at each other before we jumped out of our seats and headed to the office door. Before we opened it, we heard laughing coming from the other side. It was Emilio and Elle.
I opened the door slowly and just far enough that Violet and I could see what was going on. Because of the house’s open floor plan, it was easy to spot them in the kitchen across from us. They were both on their hands and knees picking up what looked like homemade cookies off the floor and piling them back on a cookie sheet.
“I’m really sorry I scared you. I didn’t mean to,” Emilio said as he picked up the last cookie.
“It’s okay. I’m a klutz anyway. It was bound to happen,” Elle replied with a wide smile.
Was she flirting with him? Yes, she was!
Violet looked at me and we shared a telepathic look, which I’m sure resembled ‘that slut!’
They both stood up and she placed the cookie sheet on the counter before they dusted themselves off and washed their hands in the sink.
“You still have some flour on your face,” Emilio said as he was drying his hands with the washcloth. Elle reached up and wiped her face, but missed it completely.
“Here let me get it for you,” Emilio said as he raised the hand towel, touched it to Elle’s cheek, and wiped away the leftover flour.
“That’s embarrassing,” she said as she smiled and batted her eyes at him. “Thank you.”
I couldn’t take it anymore. She was flirting with him, and he was letting her! How could he do that? Then my mind shifted.
How long had this been going on?
He had been telling me that he loved me, and now he was letting Elle flirt with him, and he was flirting back!
Violet pushed our office door open and I almost lost my balance as I stumbled out. She quietly made her way toward the kitchen and I followed. When we were only a few paces away, she cleared her throat and Emilio and Elle immediately turned to face us. I sucked in a quick breath as Emilio started to respond.
“Violet, Lily. I wasn’t expecting to see you.”
“Clearly,” Violet responded as she gave him a disapproving look. “Looks like you two were getting pretty cozy.”
“No, I was just making some cookies when Emilio accidently scared me and I dropped the tray to the ground,” Elle retorted.
“I see,” Violet scolded. “We were working in the office when we heard the pan cr
ash to the floor. We thought we would check and make sure everything was okay, but obviously Emilio has it all under control.”
I didn’t speak as my eyes locked on Emilio and didn’t waver. There was nothing I could say. After holding his gaze for a few moments, he looked down, knowing he got caught. I shouldn’t have been as upset as I was. We weren’t officially back together, but seeing him with another girl made me realize what it must have looked like for him to see me with Lucas. It sucked.
“I think it’s time for bed Lily,” Violet said as she took me by the arm and led me to the staircase. As we reached the first step, I turned my head back and glared at Emilio, who looked at me with pleading eyes. My expression didn’t change. Accident or not, what had just happened hurt me.
“That stupid, home wrecking whore!” I shouted at the top of my lungs as soon as we shut the door to our room. I didn’t even care if Emilio or Elle heard me.
“I know! Who does she think she is? Just because she is pretending to be you doesn’t mean she is you or that she can steal Emilio away!” Violet said furiously.
“He reacted to it too. It’s not like he tried to push her away either! Gah, I can’t believe this!”
“What is going on in here?” Dante asked as he came through the door.
“Emilio… and Elle, they were—” Violet paused as she tried to think of an appropriate word. “They were canoodling in the kitchen!”
“Canoodling?” Dante laughed.
“You know what I mean. How long has that been going on for?” she asked him.
Dante took a deep breath before he gestured for us to take a seat on the bed. He pulled up a chair next to it and began to explain everything.
He said that this was necessary, and that Emilio and Elle needed to act like that to make it more believable that she was me. Apparently this had been going on for the past two weeks. This was just the first time that Violet and I had actually seen it in person.
“It’s become such a routine for them, I guess they don’t know how to shut it off,” he said.
“Well, they need to stop, especially inside the house,” Violet said.
“I agree, and I will handle it,” Dante said before he turned and looked straight at me. “Try not to think too much into this, okay? It’s not a big deal. Just get a good night’s sleep and I’ll see you both in the morning,” Dante said before giving Violet a kiss and leaving.
I fell back onto the bed not knowing how to even cope with this. I had already lost everything. My life had been handed over to this imposter, and now Emilio was leaning in her direction too. After having everything taken away, I couldn’t lose him too.
***
I woke up startled the next morning. I dreamt that Emilio was carrying me out of the woods again. It felt nice to be in his arms and know that he wasn’t going to let me go. Last night’s events and this morning’s dream made me realize I needed him more than I thought I did.
Violet had already showered when I made my way into our bathroom. As soon as she saw me enter, the first thing she asked was if I was okay. I assured her I was and she continued to explain how I tossed and turned and kept her awake most of the night. I apologized and told her what I dreamt about. She said for me not to worry about anything, and that somehow she was going to put Elle in her place. I told Violet there was no need for that, but knowing Violet, that wasn’t going to stop her.
Violet had grown a lot stronger since my kidnapping. She was still her fun and quirky self, but something about her changed. She always had my back before and now she was taking it to the extreme. I knew that she wouldn’t let anyone hurt me. She had seen me at my worst on more than one occasion and now all she wanted to do was keep me as happy and content as I could be right now.
The feeling was mutual. I wouldn’t let anything disrupt her happiness either, and I tried to be as supportive as possible. I knew she had to spend at least eight hours a day with Elle, but at least Dante made the situation a little bit better. That was why I work so hard at home—to help ease some of her workload and stress.
Once I was done with my morning routine, I headed down the stairs. Violet, Dante, and Elle had already left for the day and it was just me and Emilio. Normally he would have already been gone by dawn, so when I saw him sitting at the bar waiting for me, it caught me by surprise.
“Hey,” he said as I entered the kitchen.
“Hi,” I responded coldly.
“Lily, can we talk?” he asked with a sigh as he stood up.
I knew exactly what he wanted to talk about and I didn’t want to have this conversation. Dante had explained it well enough last night, and I was in the process of trying to deal with all of this.
“There’s nothing we need to talk about. Dante explained it last night and I have to accept that this is how it’s going to be from now on,” I said as I grabbed a granola bar from the cabinet and headed towards my office.
Emilio grabbed my arm and gently turned me around to face him. I hadn’t actually looked at him when I entered the kitchen. I didn’t want to see him, and now that I had, I wish that I hadn’t. His eyes were full of sorrow and I knew that he was still upset with himself after what I saw last night.
“It’s not what you’re thinking. This is just how I have to act whenever she’s around. Please just know that she isn’t you. I’m still in love with you Lily. It’s just a façade with her. Don’t take this to heart,” he said as he pulled my hand up to his lips and softly kissed my knuckles.
“I just don’t know how to cope with all of this yet. My life is turned upside down and I feel like I’ve lost everything. I can’t lose you too,” I said solemnly.
“You have me, all of me. I promise.”
He wrapped me up in his arms and gently kissed my forehead and then the scar on my left cheek.
“Today is a short day. I’ll be home early and we can spend some time together. It’ll just be me and you tonight, okay?”
I nodded in agreement and he kissed my forehead one more time before he left the house.
***
After my daily morning self-defense class with Lorenzo and Paolo, I spent the rest of my morning in the office. I finished the sketches of each property and sent the owners an email. They both responded within the hour and said the sketches were amazing and that they wanted to move forward.
Violet had come home at lunch time and I told her that both the salon and hotel had approved the sketches and were ready to move forward. She said that after lunch she would make the schedule and contact the renovators.
She also asked if I had done the sketches for my father’s buildings yet and I had told her I hadn’t. I assured her that I would get them done soon. I had put them off and she understood why and said we could wait until I was ready. We needed to focus on the two major projects at hand, and the newer ones that were coming in daily. Surprisingly, my father wasn’t in a hurry.
I caught Violet up on the events of the morning as well. She was glad that Emilio explained what had happened the night before, although she thought he was a little late. Violet said he should have done it last night after they were caught, but better late than never.
I thought the same thing, but Emilio was a private person when it came to me and him, so I understood why he wouldn’t want to have that conversation in front of Violet and Elle. I knew that was the reason he waited to explain himself.
I told her how Emilio had asked if he and I could just hang out tonight, alone. Violet agreed and said that Dante and she would make themselves scarce and she would make sure Elle did the same.
Once Violet left, I cleaned up the kitchen. I put the leftover food in containers and then put them in the refrigerator. It was empty when I opened the door, and I could only assume it was due to either lack of food or lack of sodas. I made a note and placed it on the outside of the refrigerator to remind them that someone needed to go grocery shopping since I couldn’t leave.
With nothing else to do, I headed down to the basement refrige
rator to grab a few cans of soda and a couple bottles of water to restock the kitchen refrigerator.
Before I opened the door, I noticed a panel was shifted to the right next to the freezer. I walked over and noticed it had fallen loose. I tried to slide it back to the left, but it wouldn’t budge. I pushed it to the right to see if I could get it unstuck and all the panels started to collapse over each other like blinds. They stopped after five panels were stacked up on the side of what looked like a huge safe. Its black coating covered the entire wall and all that was lit up was a screen in the middle of it.
I hesitated for a moment before I lifted my hand and touched the screen. Immediately a keyboard shot out below the screen and it asked for the password.
What was in this safe that I had come across? Could it be all the documents Emilio kept at home away from the office? Could the document that the Heinrichs were looking for be in there? I had to find out, but I didn’t know the password.
I tried several different things: Emilio’s birthday, his father’s name, his mother’s name, and a few things I knew were associated with him. Nothing happened.
After fifteen minutes of standing there looking at the keyboard and screen, I gave up. By now I had already forgotten why I had come down here in the first place.
The rest of the day was spent either cleaning house or working on things in the office. Occasionally, I would go back down to the basement, stand in front of the safe, and wonder what the password was and what was behind the huge door. By the time five o’clock came around, I shut the panels back to where they were when I found them. I didn’t need Emilio or anyone else knowing that I had been down here snooping.
Emilio came home around six and I fixed dinner for the two of us. Violet had kept her promise, and for the rest of the night, I didn’t see her, Dante, or Elle. It was nice getting to spend time with Emilio. We didn’t talk about work or how sucky my life was.
After we ate dinner, we made our way to the back porch. I loved that I could sit there, relax, and look out at the back side of our property.
