“You and Mr. Walsh made the front page of the LA Times,” Phillip pipes up.
My stomach bottoms out even though I don’t know what he means. “What are you talking about?”
“There’s a picture of you and Mr. Walsh in a candid moment. The newspaper liked your picture so much, they decided to post it. Right now, it just says two of Sonoma’s fire victims comfort each other, but both of you are recognizable. It won’t take long for people to connect the dots.”
I close my eyes and pinch the bridge of my nose. “I believe that already happened. Everyone was staring at me in class. Hell, Alistair! I need to warn him.”
“I’m pretty sure he already knows,” Robbie says.
I shake my head. “If he did, he would have called me.”
No sooner do I say those words than my phone rings. With a shaking hand, I dig for the device in my purse. It’s him.
“Hello?”
“Chiara, I’m glad you’re not in class yet.”
“I know about our picture,” I blurt out.
“I’m so, so sorry. I’ll fix this. I promise.”
If I didn’t already love this man, I would have fallen in love with him right now. He’s dealing with so many problems already, and the outing of our relationship will only make his life even more complicated. But here he is, worrying about me.
“I’ll be fine. I’m with Robbie and Phillip. They saved me from school today.”
“Good. You shouldn’t be alone. Go home. I’ll call you when I know the extent of the damage.”
“Okay.”
“Everything will be fine, Goldi. I promise. I love you.”
“I love you too.”
He ends the call, but I remain frozen, staring at my phone for a couple of beats.
“What did he say?” Phillip asks.
“He told me to go home and wait to hear from him.”
“I don’t think you should go back to your apartment,” Robbie replies. “It’s only a matter of time before the media finds out you’re his student. And you know Nadine will create a circus.”
“What am I supposed to do, then?”
“Come home with me. You can lie low for a while there and stay as long as you need.”
“Okay. I appreciate that.”
“I’ll go back to school,” Phillip states. “You need someone to report on the gossip.”
“Oh, Phillip. They’re going to think you were cheated on.”
He gives me a lopsided grin. “Hey, that’s okay. I’ll get all the pity from the girls.”
Robbie crosses his arms. “Yeah, that’s peachy. I don’t like it at all.”
Phillip’s amused expression vanishes. “I’m sorry, Robbie, but what can we do?”
“I guess nothing.” He links his arm with mine. “Come on, girl. Let’s get you out of here.”
Before we can reach Robbie’s car in the school’s parking lot, we’re intercepted by a cameraman and the last person I ever wanted to meet—Nadine, Alistair’s ex.
She points at me. “There she is, the little Italian whore who thought she could steal my husband.”
What the hell!
“Hey, what do you think you’re doing?” Robbie shouts at the cameraman who’s practically in my face.
“Get out of my way!” I push him off.
“Not so fast.” Nadine blocks my path. “Do you think you can fuck my husband and not expect any type of retribution from me? I don’t think so.”
“Oh, but cheating on your husband with his friend is okay? If I’m a whore, what the hell are you?”
The slap to the face comes fast, and I’m unable to protect myself. My ears ring and my eyes water. Fuck, I had forgotten how much one of those hurt.
“Are you out of your goddamn mind?” Robbie yells. “Chiara, are you okay?” He positions himself in front of me, protecting me from another assault.
“I’m fine,” I say.
No, I’m not fine. I’m far from it. But I won’t give Nadine the satisfaction of seeing me cry.
“You’d better get your ass out of here before I call the police,” Robbie tells Nadine.
“With pleasure. I’ve already delivered my message.”
I watch the viper walk away with cameraman in tow. Does that mean she got the contract for her reality TV show?
I touch my sore face, and once the anger recedes, it leaves me devastated and hollow. The confrontation with Nadine reminded me too much of my relationship with my mother.
“Come on, let’s get you out of here,” Robbie says.
I nod, wanting nothing more than to hide away from the world.
41
Alistair
I’ve been listening to Enzo shout in my living room for the past hour since I got off the phone with Chiara. He called me as soon as he saw our picture on the front of the LA Times, but yelling at me over the phone wasn’t enough. He had to come knocking. Now he’s furious because I’ve been recognized already, and the story running in all celebrity gossip outlets is reporting that Alistair Walsh, former child TV star, is having an affair with a student. People seem pretty hung up on the fact that I’m still legally married. Nadine must be loving all this.
