Chapter 84 WHAT I PREACH.
\~~~RAINA.
I sat at my desk in the quiet office, surrounded by stacks of paperwork that seemed to multiply every hour. My fingers flew over the keyboard, sorting through invoices and reports, and trying to make sense of the endless numbers. It was a welcome distraction from the chaos at home, and the unspoken tensions that hung between us like smoke.
I was already loving it here in this bland corporate space, where I could pretend to be just Raina, not the wife caught in a web of lies and secrets.
A soft knock echoed at the door, pulling me from my focus. I glanced up, and Alessia poked her head in, her curly hair bouncing as she grinned.
I breathed out a sigh, shaking my head as I leaned back in my chair. “I think you have fallen in love with me at this point.”
“Why not?” she shot back with a wink, rolling her eyes before stepping fully inside and closing the door behind her.
“What are you doing here? I was just going to send this to you for approval,” I said, nodding toward the screen while she dropped down in the chair across from me.
“Oh, work can wait. We have been grinding all day. I need you to humor me on this,” Her eyes sparkled with that mischievous glint she got when she had gossip to spill.
“Is something wrong?” I raised my head immediately, wheeling my chair closer, concern knitting my brows.
Alessia wasn't really the type to drop by for nothing.
She leaned forward, elbows on her knees. “So, I have this friend…”
“A friend? You?” I chuckled, unable to help the teasing tone.
“Yes! It's not about me. It's about a distant friend. You don't know her,” She waved her hand dismissively, but her cheeks flushed just a bit.
I nodded, playing along. “Fine, I will humor you.”
Alessia settled in, crossing her legs. “So, she got drunk one day and made a silly mistake.”
“What mistake?” I asked, curiosity piqued despite myself.
“She kissed a man.”
I blinked, processing that. Alessia, or her friend, kissing someone? It didn't surprise me entirely, she was bold like that, but the way she said it, hesitant yet excited, made me lean in.
“Kiss? Who?” I pressed, though I knew she'd dodge the details.
“This is not the problem,” she rushed on. “She kissed this man, and this man reciprocated. They were legit making out already. He had started... You know, fondling her breast, and she was even touching his dick. But all of a sudden, she snapped back and slapped him!”
“You did that?!” My eyes widened, a gasp escaping before I could stop it. The image flashed in my mind: Alessia, tipsy and impulsive, locking lips with some guy, hands wandering, then bam, a sharp slap echoing in a dimly lit ba… Or room.
“Yes, I...! I mean, she did,” Alessia corrected herself hurriedly, her face turning a deeper shade of red. She fanned herself, laughing nervously.
“But why? She wouldn't have kissed him in the first place if she didn't like him, right?” I tilted my head, trying to unpack it. Alcohol lowered inhibitions, sure, but a slap? That screamed regret or boundaries crossed.
“Right,” Alessia nodded vigorously. “I mean, maybe. I didn't ask her that. But there are a lot of circumstances. First, men kind of repulse her, you get? Again, they are just kind of... not compatible. He is kind of inferior to her, and even younger.”
“Ah... really?” I leaned back, crossing my arms.
She nodded even more emphatically, almost jumping out of her seat. “What do I do? I mean... what should I tell my friend to do?”
“First, does she find their social differences a problem? Like, does she think it's a problem being richer than him? Also, how many years difference? Two? Three?” I fired off questions, genuinely invested now.
It reminded me of my own tangled feelings, trapped in a world where power imbalances ruled everything.
“Fucking five, sister-in-law. Five fucking years. And... according to her, she doesn't really care if she is richer. She just doesn't... You know? She doesn't want to be committed to anyone. She'd prefer to die single, by the way.” Alessia's voice dropped on that last part, her eyes darting away.
I squinted my brows, breathing out slowly. The pieces clicked too neatly. “But…Are you sure you are not talking about yourself, though?”
“Never!” She banged the table lightly, making me flinch and knock over a pen.
“Fine, it is not you! You didn't need to scare me!” I laughed, rubbing my arm where I'd jolted.
“I swear, it's not me,” she insisted, shaking her head like she was trying to convince herself.
“I have heard you.”
“You don't trust me,” Her pout was exaggerated, but there was a hint of real vulnerability underneath.
“God, I do!” I burst into laughter, the sound filling the office and easing the knot in my chest.
For a moment, I forgot about Luciano and the secrets weighing me down.
“I am just surprised you know this much about your friend. It is as if you two are twins. So sweet,” I winked, leaning forward again.
“Yeah, she tells me everything,” Alessia said, rolling her eyes and running a hand through her hair, tousling it further.
“I'd love to meet her.”
“Just mind your business and give me advice... to give her,” she hissed playfully, but her grin betrayed her.
I burst into laughter again, wiping a tear from my eye. “Okay, okay. Tell your 'friend' this. First, the slap was probably her gut telling her to stop. If men repulse her or the guy's too young and inferior, maybe it's not about him specifically, maybe she's just not ready. Five years isn't that much of a gap, but if it feels like one, that's valid.”
Alessia absorbed it, nodding slowly. “But what if she liked the kiss? Before the slap, I mean. What if part of her wants that spark but freaks out?”
I paused, thinking of my own life. The way Luciano's touch sometimes ignited something forbidden, only for fear to crash in. “Then she explores it on her terms. No commitment if she doesn't want it. Just... communicate. Tell the guy it's casual, or walk away if it is too messy. Life's too short for regrets that keep you up at night.”
Right.
Life is fucking too short to…
“Shit!” I sprang up, slamming my hands on the table.
“What?!” Alessia exclaimed.
“Life is too short!” I screamed.
“It is not news, and yes, you just said it too.”
“I should… practice what I preach too… right?”
“I don't know what is going on, but hell, yeah!”
And tonight, I really am going to come fully clean to Luciano.
Hell, I'm done and tired of the lies.