Chapter 163

• VALENTINA
• Sunlight slipped through the curtains and hit my face early. Too early. I woke with that same heavy ache in my chest, the kind that sits right under your ribs and won’t move. Last night’s standoff kept replaying—Gustavo stepping out of nowhere, voice low and cold, eyes locked on mine like he could see straight through me. Then the office chatter I’d overheard yesterday afternoon. Two assistants by the printer. One said they saw Gustavo and Gabrielle at a quiet Italian place after hours. Private table. Candles. Her laughing at something he said, head tilted close. The other one giggled and added, “She touched his hand when she passed the wine. Real cozy.” I’d walked away fast, but the words stuck. They painted a picture I couldn’t shake. Him smiling at her the way he used to smile at me. Intimate. Easy.
• I pushed the covers off and stood. The room felt too small. I dressed quick—fitted white blouse, black pencil skirt. The fabric pulled tight across my chest and hips, like it knew I was trying to hold everything in. I told myself the hurt wasn’t love. It was anger. He questioned my choices with Adrian while he played the same game with her. Double standards. That’s all it was. Not that I cared. Not like that.