Chapter 102
**Francesca**
She accesses the account named Lorenzo, goes to the emails sent and there are the emails I saw, the ones that ended up with me in a way and made me stay with Giuseppe.
The last one in particular was the one that made me go ahead and marry him, where "Lorenzo" slandered me for my hitherto beloved fiancé.
How could he do that to me?
What's worse is that I can't even yell at him, or do anything to hit him.
He broke my heart with every email, until there was nothing left to be pasted or restored.
- I think all the answers are there, Fran. But want to see what's on your phone?
- I don't want to.
- What do you intend to do with all this?
- Destroy everything, because it broke my heart. I lived ten years hating the wrong person. I have spent years of my life preparing for a revenge that I find to be baseless. I should get revenge on Giuseppe, but the son of a bitch is dead. Not even to be alive so I could step on him, the dog is. I HATE YOU, GIUSEPPE ZUCALLI AND I HOPE YOU ARE PAYING FOR YOUR SINS IN HELL!
- Calm down, Fran. That won't do, after all he died and is buried. He fooled everyone, but I believe he was not happy. After all, he didn't have his love.
- Never has and never will. The most he got was my affection and even that he managed to kill when I caught him with those women. The only good thing was the nightclub he left me.
- Fran, Fran, look at this. - She shows me a closed notebook with elastic hidden in the drawer.
"I can't take it anymore," I say as I sit up, feeling exhausted.
Outside the sun toasts us with its first rays, the night has passed that we have not even seen.
She opens the notebook and flips through it as I watch her reaction.
- Fuck! This here is pure dynamite. WHORE WHO GAVE BIRTH!
The thing must be ugly since I've never seen Gio say so much swear in a single sentence.
- More? My God, what else do you have to discover?
- Here's the explanation of everything, why. - She sits up, surprised.
- What it says there.
- Giuseppe has always been jealous of Lorenzo. From what I'm seeing here, he wanted to have everything Lorenzo had. ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING... And that included you. He has prepared everything to leave you at his mercy. Look here, he convinced Lorenzo's father to send him to Boston ahead of time just to separate them.
- DAUGHTER OF A BITCH! I told a lot of barbarity to the love of my life because of this imbecile. I'm dumb! And now how am I going to fix this?
- Friend, he got ready with Rafaella so she wouldn't get in the way of his approach to you. DAMN, he thought of everything.
"Did you hear me?"
- Oh, sorry, what was it?
- How am I going to redeem myself with Lorenzo who must be hating me because of his father and Diana's move.
- Tell the truth and everything is resolved.
"Gio, set up a date with him at the nightclub early tomorrow, please, and don't say I'm the one who wants to meet him.
- Look what you're going to do.
- Call Suzy too, I'll need her.
- And what do I do with it? - Show the notebook.
- This one stays with me, one day I will still give it to Lourenço to find out who was the friend he welcomed so well. The other stuff burns everything, I don't want to see those photos and videos ever again.
- Are you sure?
- Yes, do that. These memories will do no one any good. I'm going to hire an interior designer and we're going to renovate here. No more things that remind us of this man. I'm taking Giuseppe out of my whole life from now on.
- That's how it goes!
We are interrupted by a knock on the door that soon opens and reveals Mari who comes in looking around.
- By the way you took my advice, girl.
- Yes, and I discovered an endless rot, so much so I'm going to put an end to everything.
- It's about time I moved this room. I confess that I still feel a chill in entering here, since everything refers to Giuseppe.
- Enough of that, Mari, today begins a new era.
"Ah, Diana, this is for you, the driver who delivered it made me promise that I would deliver it in your hands.
- What is it? - I ask curiously.
- I don't know, there's just his name on the wrapping.
I pick up the wrapping and curious, as I am, I open it. I find a notebook and a letter.
- Another notebook? - Gio asks.
"That's what it looks like," I reply looking at the time-yellowed notebook that seems to have been wet at some point.
"Coffee is already on the table, they're going to eat since they spent the night here drinking," Mari says looking at the empty bottles in a corner.
"Let's go, thank you, Mari," I smile.
She leaves, leaving us alone.
"Go, Fran, see what that is," Gio says moving closer.
I pick up the letter, open it, and start reading aloud:
- Francesca, maybe you don't understand why you're only just getting in touch, but the truth is I didn't want to reminisce about a dark part of my life. Not until yesterday...
"A chance encounter with someone from our common past made me realize that I should close this loose end so I could move forward without any backlogs.
"I want you, like me, to understand each other and be happy.
"I reunited with Lorenzo and saw how unhappy he is, all because of the antics of a man who wasn't worth what he ate.
"I went through what I went through because I looked for it somehow, as he himself said I played with fire and got burned.
"But you and Lorenzo don't. You simply crossed paths with an ambitious and envious one who laid eyes on you and decided that it would be worth playing with your life like in a game of chess.
"He wished the Queen and then checkmated the King.
"But that's over and now you're free to live your love.
"I kept this notebook for years, thinking of using it against Giuseppe one day, because I picked it up on the day of the burial of Giovanna's mother.
"Yes, I was also there, in the shadows, like Lorenzo, but for totally different reasons.
"I wanted to get revenge on the one who took my life, since Lorenzo thought he was saying goodbye to the love of his life.
"At the time I didn't understand the connection of the names or what he was doing there. But then, as time went on, I put the puzzle together and came to the conclusion that you and Lorenzo were victims of a sadist, of someone who took pleasure in watching the other suffer.
"I'm sorry to only tell you this now, but I guess it's not too late yet.
"If you want to talk better and understand what happened, I'm back in Florence, my address and phone number below.
"I hope to help in some way in this reconciliation,
"Melissa."
- FUCK! - Giovanna says as soon as I finish reading.
I pick up the notebook and start to see what is written.
Day 01
One day away from Fran and I already feel empty. I couldn't say goodbye to her or let her know I was leaving because of my father.
I hope she doesn't hate me, or think I've abandoned her.
I'll come back to get you, Fran.
***
Day 10
I can't talk to Fran and Giuseppe is taking too long to answer the emails. What's worse is that he says he didn't find her, because he needs to study. But I need to talk to her and I can't. What's killing me.
Fran, I'll be back, wait for me.
***
Day 15
Giuseppe told me that she left school because her mother was offered a better job.
My God, where are you Fran?
I'm freaking out away from you.
***
Day 60
All is not lost, today I met Marcel and he gave me the phone number of Giovanna's mother.
Now I'm hopeful I'll find her.
Fran, I still love you.
***
Day 62
Today my world is over, I am going to the burial of my beloved. I never thought I would one day receive this news.
I will leave my heart with you, Fran, and I promise that I will never have a new love, I will never be happy again. I'm dead and buried with you.
I will live by living until the day when death takes pity on me and takes me to its side.
Fran, wait for me in eternity which is where it seems we will be happy.
I love you forever.
***
I finish reading the diary in tears.
He loved me all these years...
He never lied...
I misjudged him...
Lorenzo, my love, I will redeem myself and have you back.