47

I bursted out into tears, my body racked with sadness. I hated feeling this way but I couldn't control my feelings. It wasn't easy seeing him with other women because that was the way we broke up. Couldn't he see that he wasn't making me jealous? Only making me even more upset?

Dante pulled me into a warm hug saying, "he doesn't deserve you, Mia." I nodded, attempting to stop sobbing but found it hard as my body shook. "As much as I love you being around Mia, but as soon as these six months are done, you should get the hell out of here. Being here is only making you sad."

I nodded, sniffing as the tears subsided. He was right. I was going to leave this place in the next three months and never see Vincenzo again. I never really thought about it that deeply. Never seeing Vincenzo again. I was angry the first time because he had cheated on me but the second time? My feelings for him were clearly still there and I partially didn't want to leave him. I loved him so much it felt as though it was going to be hard to leave again.

Never seeing him again. Huh.

It felt odd.

Matteo looked up at me, his eyes teary as he noticed that I was crying and he too started to cry so I stopped.

I moved away from Dante's arms, thanking him and bouncing Matteo up and down again, the bottle on the counter. "Don't cry," I told him, wiping his cheeks and he started to stop and smile. I smiled back, stroking his hand. "I hope he grows up to be as funny as you."

Dante let out a laugh, "so you admit it?" I raised an eyebrow as he continued to laugh. "I'm funny." I rolled my eyes, grinning playfully. I glanced at Matteo. Burping time.

"You wish."

___

"Sir, here's the files you asked for," I politely said, passing him a large pile of documents. He grunted, nodding at me before taking them and reading through them. They were money transactions that I wasn't sure where they were coming from. It seemed as though Vincenzo was giving me work but at the same time trying to hide something from me.

"Anything else you would like me to do?" I asked, my voice still hoarse and my eyes quickly skimming his body.

He looked hot as usual and surprisingly was not wearing a suit, but a white shirt that was tight and showed off his athletic body, and some dark jeans with some trainers. His hair wasn't combed and was messy which made him look hotter and he smelt good. Whenever I came closer I could smell his lovely cologne.

He glanced up at me, he too quickly looking over my body. He was about to reply when the door bursted open.

Great, another woman.

He smirked, calling her over by her name: Rayna. She tossed her dark hair over her shoulder and walked over to him seductively, immediately straddling him when she reached him. I let out a silent scoff as they started kissing and tearing each other clothes off. I looked away.

It was my queue to go.

I scoffed quietly again, about to leave the room when Vincenzo said, "don't forget the other files."

Squeezing my eyes closed for a split moment, I turned, yanking the files from under the woman who was laying on the desk and storming out, slamming the door behind me.

Frustrated, I blinked back my tears, turning a corridor and practically ran out the building and into Vincenzo's house.

I bursted into the living room, threw myself on the couch and rested my head on Valentina's lap, bursting into tears.

"Oh, honey," she said, her conversation with Dante immediately ending as she stroked my hair and tutted, like a mother would to a young child.

I couldn't stop crying. Why would he keep doing this over and over again? How many times does one person need to be satisfied in one day?

Not only that but we broke up because he couldn't keep his pants up. He said he loved me so I'm still waiting on the apology attempts. I'm not saying that I was waiting for his 'apology acts' . . . Screw it, I was.

But wasn't that normal?

If you cheat on someone, doesn't the cheater, who still loves the woman, find ways to impress her or show how sorry they are? Ways to win them back?

Vincenzo was doing the opposite, so what the hell did that mean?

"Why does he keep hurting me - why do men keep hurting me?"

I had only been with three guys and at that point, they were all diçks.

James and Connor. Lovely guys.

Connor was kind and loving and treated me like a princess in high school. He appreciated me, respected my thoughts and was just a great boyfriend at first. Then he started pressurising me to sleep with him. Whenever I would refuse or say no, he would call me stiff and not even 'all that'. So I dumped the prick because I am 'all that', honey.

James was great at first too, yeah, a real charmer until he started being controlling as fudge. He would tell me where we were eating out, who were my friends, what movie we'd watch, who I talked to. He wouldn't let me break up with him ever and really lowered my self esteem. He was the boyfriend Vincenzo beat the life out of, but that's a story for another time.

I was crying and crying and Valentina was just there, letting her jeans soak and comforting me by stroking my hair and telling me it's okay like a little girl.

"But it's not!" I cried, like a whiny child. It was far from okay or going to be okay! This was one of those times that whatever you say or do will not make me feel better at all.

"I know, honey, I know."

"I'm not a sweetener!"

I heard her sigh but let out a chuckle. "I'm a joke now?" I had no idea what was going on with me. My mood swings were swingy as ever and I wasn't sure why. Hormones, going up and down and I didn't know why.