The chair falls over as I jump off it so fast, running around the counter to hug her. “Oh, my word I’m so happy.” I shout, spinning her around.
She laughs and wiggles to get free.
“Ok, ok, calm down. You need to show me a picture of this man. I can’t be meeting my daughter’s fiancé for the first time and not even know what he looks like.” She huffs.
While I’m pulling my phone out, I’m talking excitedly.
“You are going to have dinner with us tomorrow night. That way you can meet him before the wedding.” I mumble, flicking through the photos I took while we were on the island, trying to find one that isn’t of us naked or doing naughty things.
“Here.” I smile, pushing the phone into her hands. “That’s my fiancé.” I say with pride.
My mother stares, completely frozen, not breathing.
Her eyes are wide with terror, shock, and icy fear.
Suddenly, she breathes, but she’s in total panic “Are you having a stroke?” I shout in horror.
She drops my phone, and it smacks onto the kitchen counter. Reaching out I grab her just in time as she sways. She pushes me away and leans her back against the other counter. Gasping, she fights for air. “Mom, what is going on?” I shout in fear.
“It’s him.” She cries.
“Who?”
“It’s Vincent Vece.”
“What?How?—”
“It’s the man who tried to kill me.He’s the one who beat me and locked me inside that car before pushing it off the bridge and into the river. He’s the one, Misha. He’s the one who killed me.”
My mother sinks down to her knees, collapsing onto the kitchen floor. Kneeling next to her I pull her into my arms, confusion drowning me, disbelief and horror flooding my thoughts.
I can’t think straight. I can’t process this.
“Mom, it’s not true.” I beg as tears sting my eyes.
She doesn’t answer. She must be having some kind of flash back. Thisisn’ttrue, she’s just mixed him up with someone else.
Vincent Vece.She knows his name. She knows him.
I stand up, moving away from her. I can’t breathe now. My world is spinning.
So many thoughts are pulsing in every direction.
“Celso.” I mutter.
“Who?” My mother says her voice like ice. “Who is Celso?”
“My brother. Your son.”
“My son?” her voice breaks. “You met my son. I thought Vincent would have sent him away.”
“I met him.” I murmur, staring at the floor, too shocked to cry anymore. Too shocked to react.
“Misha—”
“Not now mom. I - I can’t - I have to - I have to go.” I mumble, grabbing my phone and purse I run from her house.
“You can’t marry him.” She screams after me, but the door closes behind me and I bolt into the elevator. I’m fighting for air, gasping, my lungs heavy and stiff. My entire body aching.
