I need to leave.
Racing down the path, I turn to the one person I know, despite the annoyance he causes, will always help me.
Pulling my phone from my pocket, I pull up my recent calls and press the number.
Sully answers on the second ring, but true to his nature, he says nothing.
“Sullivan?” I growl, quickening my pace down the path. All I want is to get back to my bike and get out of here before I boil over and cause a scene. Regardless of being outside, the air feels thick around me.
“What’s up?”
“I need to borrow your jet.”
He coughs as though he’s choking on something. “My jet? Right now? Where are you going?”
“Yes, now. I need to get away for a while. May I borrow it or not?”
“Of course. Let me just make a few calls. Do you want me to meet you on the tarmac? I can come with you if you need a wingman.”
For the briefest of moments, I consider inviting him along, ultimately shaking off the thought. This isn’t like leaving after med school. I have no idea when, or if, I’ll return to New York.
“No, I need to go alone. Can you make sure it's ready within the hour?”
“I… Yeah man, no problem. Will you at least tell me where you’re going?”
“As far away from here as possible.”
Once I’m on the plane, I’ll flip a coin onto the west coast portion of the map and whichever city it lands will be where I land, too.
As long as it’s far away from this city, I don’t care.
My Ducati comes into view, parked exactly where I left it. It calls to me like a beacon—offering only the slightest of comfort as I kick my leg over the soft leather cushion and balance it between my legs.
“International?” he asks, and I can hear the unease in his voice, craving the details I’m refusing to tell.
I never knew until this moment how fragile a heart could be, like it’s made of glass. From the outside, it’s strong and made to withstand many hardships, but when its exterior is splintered, all it takes is one thing to shatter it completely.
So I’ll head west and leave the fragments behind.
I won’t need them anyway—I could never love anyone like I love Vincenza—and I sure as hell won't be here to watch her marry another man.
“No. California.”
Chapter 35
Vinnie
Thirty minutes earlier
“I’m in here!” I shout from my bedroom as the front door slams closed.
It’s earlier than I expected Cecilia to return home, but I’m happy she did. I have to leave in less than five minutes to meet Sly and still have no idea what to wear.
It’s the most trivial detail, but I’ve hyper focused on it because it’s either stewing over the dress or doubting my decision to tell our parents.
All day, I’ve been running scenarios through my head, and no matter which way I spin it, there’s always a fallout between me and my father. I just pray he can learn to love me again with time. I’m still his little girl, I just happened to fall in love with someone he will deem as the wrong person.
But Sly is not only therightperson, he’smyperson.
