Chapter 47
LIANA
The past few days have been so eye opening for me. The way Massi has shown up and just let me cry on his shoulder. Yell at him about how mad I am that my mom was taken away from me. Endure the array of emotions I have, still not understanding what’s going on.
But even through all of that, he’s been here for me, never leaving my side, even when I told him it was okay to.
When I was about to lose hope on what we’re going to do, Gio and Gui came to let us know they overheard their mom saying they were going to go out to lunch today.
We decided Massi and I will sneak in and figure out a way to confront her, maybe when she goes to the bathroom or something.
When we get to the restaurant, Massi pays off one of the cooks to let us in through the kitchen. We end up in a hallway where the bathrooms are, with a clear view of the front of the restaurant.
“Do you see her?” I ask Massi as I peek my head around the corner, scanning the crowd.
“I don’t … Oh, wait, I think that’s her … Yeah, that’s her over by the window.”
I dart my eyes to the window, and when they find her, I freeze. She’s just as beautiful as I remember. My heart tightens at the memories I have of her, and knowing there’s so much of her life I’ve missed out on.
“What’re we going to do?” I say.
“It looks like she just got seated, so who knows how long we could be here,” Massi says.
My head swarms with what I want to say to her. Do I tell her she’s my mom? Do I tell her about the life she had before this? No, I can’t do that. She’ll think I’ve lost my mind.
Massi turns me to face him. “Hey, take a deep breath. Think about what you want to say to her, but don’t overthink it. Everything will be all right, okay? I’ll keep an eye out for your mom and let you know if she makes a move.”
I nod to him a few times. Take a deep breath. Just take a deep breath and relax, Liana, or else you’ll ruin the only chance you have at getting your mom back.
I won’t have much time to speak with her here, so maybe if I write down my number and a place to meet with her, we’ll be able to have some time to ourselves.
A server goes to pass us, but I stop him. “Excuse me, could I borrow your pen and a piece of paper, please?”
He looks at me with a furrow in his brow, but when he takes Massi in, who’s staring at him with a look of death on his face, he quickly hands me what I asked for.
I write down the address of our villa and jot down my phone number, then hand the pen back to the server. “Thanks,” I say, then he scampers off.
“Liana, she’s on the move,” Massi says, and I peek around the corner and see she’s headed our way.
“Shoot,” I hiss out, not thinking about where I’d be when she came over here. “Um, I’m going into the bathroom, you need to go to the men’s room.”
“Absolutely not,” he says.
“Massi, we don’t have time to argue over this.”
He pushes me toward the bathroom. “You go to the women’s room, and I’ll make myself discreet out here. She won’t think anything of me, but I’m not hiding in a bathroom where I won’t be able to make sure you’re okay.”
“Okay, fine,” I say, running into the women’s room.
I stand by the sink, fidgeting with my fingers for a few seconds before the door opens. Raising my gaze, I’m met with my mom’s, and I freeze, wide-eyed, mouth agape.
She jumps, then gives me a smile. “Oh, I’m so sorry. You startled me. I wasn’t expecting to see you there.”
“I … I’m sorry,” I say.
I’m still frozen on the spot, not knowing how to proceed. When she notices, a crinkle forms in her brow and she says, “Is everything okay?”
“I … I …”
I need to get it together. This is my only shot.
“I need to speak with you,” I blurt out.
She brings her hand up to her chest. “With me?”
My heart is beating a million beats a minute, but I try to ignore it.
“My name is Liana, and I … I really need to speak with you. In private. Somewhere that’s not here.”
“Are you sure you don’t have me mistaken for someone else?” she asks.
“You have to trust me. I know this is going to sound crazy, but not everything is as it seems. Please, just meet with me tomorrow.” I step toward her, and she tenses, surely suspicious of the kind of person I am.
“I promise, I’m not here to hurt you. I just want to tell you the truth.” I hold out the paper to her. “Here’s the time, location, and my phone number. I’ll be there, and I’ll explain everything to you, but you have to make sure to come alone, or things might not turn out so well for me.”
She glances at the paper, then draws her gaze back to mine. “I don’t think I’m who you’re looking for.”
“You are. I promise, and I can prove it to you. Please.” I extend my hand farther to her.
She looks at the paper again, then reluctantly takes it.
“And one more thing. You can’t tell your husband about me.”
“You know my husband? You must realize how strange this is, and now you’re asking me not to tell him about it?”
“I know, this is all very weird, but please believe me when I say no one can know about this interaction, or else it could turn out very badly for me. I just want to talk. Please. Meet me at the address tomorrow and everything will make more sense.”
I hurry on by her, exiting the bathroom, and run into Massi’s arms.
“Is everything okay?” he asks, worry in his tone.
“Yes, just take me back to the villa, please.”
As we hurry back to the car, all I can think about is whether my mom will meet me tomorrow. My anxiety is heightened, and while I would love for her to trust me, there’s no telling what will happen, and I don’t blame her.