Chapter 184

• GUSTAVO
• I came to on the couch with my head pounding like someone was swinging a hammer inside my skull. The room tilted for a second before it settled. My mouth tasted bitter, like bad medicine mixed with the wine I’d had earlier. I forced my eyes open.
• My tux jacket lay crumpled on the floor. Shirt right beside it. A woman’s earring caught the low light near my shoe. A lipstick-stained glass had tipped over on the side table, red smear on the rim. Gabrielle’s black silk scarf draped across my lap like someone had placed it there on purpose. I stared at it all, pieces clicking into place slow and ugly.