He Took My Love 99 Times. The 100th Time, He Lost Me Forever. novel · Chapter 4 of 24

Chapter 4: What Paola Left

Paola came to the back door of the ward at six in the morning, alone, in a raincoat over last night's silver dress.

The boy on watch duty woke me by shaking my shoulder.

"There's a dancer in the alley," he whispered. "She says she's your friend."

"She isn't," I said.

I went out anyway.

The alley was grey and wet, and Paola stood with a velvet jewelry box held against her chest.

Her makeup had run, and her hair hung loose around her face.

She was still beautiful.

I had never decided whether that made it better or worse.

"You came without him," I said.

"He doesn't know I'm here." She lifted her chin. "He took my cards after the car. Said I embarrassed him by looking at the folder last night."

"You looked at it like a bill."

"It was a bill," Paola said. "That's the whole point."

I almost laughed.

She opened the velvet box.

Inside were three bracelets, a diamond choker and a pair of emerald earrings I had seen on her at the opera.

"These are worth four hundred thousand dollars," she said. "They're yours."

"Mine?"

"I'll sign them over today. Take them, drop your claim, and tell the Board you made a mistake. You can have your life back and a lot of money. Fabrizio will forgive you."

"Forgive me."

"He's very good at it." Her voice shook. "You have no idea how good he is."

I looked at the earrings.

I had given her those.

Three years ago, for her birthday, I'd saved for weeks and bought her a small pair of pearl studs, and she had said they were sweet.

She had never worn them.

"Why are you really here, Paola?"

She closed the box, and her mouth twisted.

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