Page 62 of Wicked Truths
What has Arturo found out about the Rossis?
She leans back against the couch cushions and closes her eyes as I continue to clean her wounds.
We haven’t spoken since the kiss.
After joking with Spencer, the rest of the ride was filled with awkward silence. Joey and Spencer kept glancing in the backseat at Francesca.
I know they wanted to talk about all the shit that happened tonight, but until tonight, we all thought Francesca was still in the dark regarding her family’s affairs.
Clearly, she knows more than she’s letting on, and I need to find out exactly what she knows.
When her legs are clean, I gently apply antibiotic cream to the deeper cuts. I take my time, trying to delay the inevitable conversation thatwe need to have.
I don’t know where to start this conversation. I don’t know how to bring up my worries, concerns, and faults.
Standing up, I take the medical supplies back to my bathroom and throw the washcloth into the washing machine.
It’s time.
No more excuses. No more half truths. No more lies.
It’s time for me to tell Francesca everything.
I plop down on the opposite end of the couch and face her.
After a few moments, she turns her body to face me. I grab her feet and place them in my lap, breathing a sigh of relief when she doesn’t pull away from me.
Her voice is soft and emotionless, like she’d rather be anywhere else but here. “How long have you been working for my father?”
There’s no reason to lie to her, so I tell her the truth. “Almost two years. It was about a month after you left, but you need to know how it all really started. Let me explain.”
I wait for her to nod before continuing.
“Right before you broke up with me, I asked your father for his permission to propose to you. He didn’t say yes or no, but he said if I proved myself to him over the summer, then I would have his blessing.”
Her eyes widen and her mouth falls open. She seems surprised that he would make me prove myself to him. At first, I was too, but I quickly found out what he was referring to.
Without letting my thoughts get too far ahead of my story, I continue.
“Before I could find out what your father meant by that, you broke up with me and moved away. It took several weeks, but eventually he and Joey told me all about your family’s past and asked if I still wanted to be with you.”
She sits up straighter and leans closer to me. “What did you say?”
“I said, of course. My love didn’t disappear just because you moved away, or because of your father’s business. Your father took me under his wings and showed me the ins and outs of the business. Eventually Spencer joined the ranks, too.”
She frowns and glances away, but not before I see the hurt and disappointment in her gaze.
“I’m sorry I never told you. Your father made it clear that you would return on your own, and then we could tell you about everything.”
Her eyebrows furrow as she crosses her arms.
“Chessie, please say something. Anything.”
She shakes her head, causing a tear to fall from the corner of her eye.
“Please Chess. I’m begging.”
Her gaze slowly meets mine. “I’m just thinking about how all of this heartache could have been avoided if we were open and honest with one another from the beginning.”