Chapter 88: 88 ~ Mira
It took a few days to gather my things. I believed it would be a temporary stay so I wasn’t letting go of my apartment in Lisbon.
I tried my best to go to work as usual, keeping a poker face like my mind was not spiraling with thousands of thoughts.
The bell above the bakery door jingled, that same cheerful chime I’d heard a hundred times before. Today, it felt wrong — too light for the heaviness sitting in my chest. I forced on the polite smile I’d perfected over the last two years and greeted the couple walking in. They didn’t know me. Not really. To them, I was just another cashier at Valente’s. Not the owner. Not the woman who’d built this place from the ground up in a foreign city.
Well, that was the point.
While I adjusted the trays of pastel de nata, my phone buzzed in my apron pocket. One glance at the screen made my pulse trip.
Massimo: Your flight’s booked. Tomorrow.
I gulped as I read it twice. Three times. As if the words might change if I stared long enough. They didn’t. Tomorrow. That wasn’t another one of his vague suggestions about us being an item or his usual comforting statements of "when you’re ready." This was final.
The buttery scent of the pastries used to soothe me. Now it felt suffocating. Tomorrow meant no more pretending Lisbon was my safe little hideaway. No more lying to myself that I could live quietly while the past still owned me. It was going to be an entirely different ball game now.
By the time my shift ended, my hands were shaking. I fumbled with the apartment keys like an amateur, and when I finally got inside, I ripped the apron off and tossed it on the couch.
Massimo had asked to see me so in a few hours, I would meeting up with him. I decided to take a nap before then. It was my escape from my reality. Every little chance I got, I slept through it.
~Later, at a café near the river~
Massimo was already there, lounging in the corner like he owned the place. He didn’t bother standing when I approached — just raised his glass in a lazy salute.
"You look nervous, bella," he said, sliding a sleek black credit card across the table. "For expenses. New wardrobe, travel, whatever you need. My name’s on it, but you’ll have the PIN."
I didn’t take it right away. "And when I take this...?"
"You take me," he said, his voice smooth as silk. "Until this is done. Jace Romano will know what it’s like to lose something precious. The same way you did."
The words dug under my skin before I could stop them. I hated that they made sense.
Massimo leaned forward, eyes locking on mine. "You’ve been hiding, Mira. Baking pastries for tourists, playing cashier. But I see you. You were born into blood and fire. You just forgot for a while."
I took the card. Not because I trusted him, but because I needed what he was offering.
That night came around sooner than I wanted.
Packing was harder than I expected. Not because I had too much stuff, but because everything I touched carried a memory of the life I’d built here. Safe. Quiet. Simple.
At the bottom of my drawer, I found it, the rings that Jace slid on my finger almost four years ago. I thought I’d thrown it away. I hadn’t.
For a long moment, I stood by the window, the city lights flickering over the diamond as I dangled it in my fingers.
Touching my neck I remembered the necklace he gave to me just then. His voice echoed in my head, low and commanding: Never take it off.
I left it as a goodbye but sometime I wished I took it with me when I left. Maybe he found it and kept it for me. Or maybe not. A hospital staff could have taken it for all I know.
My fingers tightened around the ring as I realized I was getting carried away. "I’m not going back for you," I whispered. "I’m going back to end you."
I shoved it deep into my bag.
The next morning
Lisbon’s airport buzzed with noise, the smell of coffee and jet fuel hanging heavy in the air. My carry-on was light in my hand, sunglasses shielding my eyes from anyone who might look too closely.
I didn’t look back.
But as I walked toward the gate, I could feel it — someone watching me. Somewhere behind me, one of Massimo’s men leaned against a pillar, phone in hand.
"She’s on her way," he said to whoever was on the other end. I read his lips.
And across the ocean, the first move in my revenge had already been made.
~
"This is for me?" I asked over the phone as I marveled at the sight of the apartment
Massimo’s worker brought me here from the hotel. He had told me he had a mansion here in LA but I was surprised when they brought me to this fancy place instead.
"Yes. I want you to be comfortable. I know you wouldn’t want to live with me until after we get married."
I chuckled. "Who said anything about us getting married?"
"You may fall in love with me soon you know?"
"Right," I rolled my eyes.
This man would always be cocky.
It was funny how he assumed I would not be able to afford such an apartment. Apparently, he had not dug deep enough to know that about me. But I appreciated the kind gesture nonetheless despite how oblivious he was.
He just saved me the cost of buying a fancy place and to be fair, I liked this space. It was a good deal.
I thanked him and ended the call.
His workers made sure I was settled in before the left. I ordered some pizza, ate a few slices and slept off afterwards.
~
Waking up in the middle of the night, the strangeness of the room startled me for a bit before I remembered where exactly I was.
America.
I stood by my floor to ceiling window that overlooked the busy city and sighed.
I had mixed feelings about my return for obvious reasons.
I didn’t know what it would be like to face Jace.
Would I want to punch him in the face as soon as I saw him or would I pretend to smile in front of him?
Thankfully I had some time before I would have to meet him again but there was no telling what I would do at the sight of him.
I wondered if he would look any different. I know I did.
I still recalled the feel of his face on my fingers the last time I saw him. I wanted the outline of his face to stay etched in my memory. Maybe a part of me knew what was to come and that our separation would be longer than I anticipated.
After I changed my contact details and even my entire identity, I knew it would be impossible to reach me even if he tried. That is if he ever tried. His giant ego would never let him apologize.
I shut him out of my mind and my new life so I never kept tabs on him even if I wanted to. The few times I contacted my brother, I did well to not ask of him either. It was better off like that.
I wondered if he had moved on and married someone else. Maybe he must have kidnapped some other woman and forced her to be his wife while keeping a deadly secret from her. Maybe it was why he moved to LA too.
"Bastard." I cussed under my breath as the memories came flooding back.
I was not going to rest until I gave him a taste of his own medicine.
~
The next day, I went shopping. If I was going to make a spectacular comeback, I had to look the part. Massimo gave me his card but I really didn’t need it. So I took mine and headed out of my new apartment.
The driver and the vehicle provided for me were waiting downstairs. I slipped into the SUV with a smile on my face as I went on a shopping spree of a lifetime.
My sunglasses stayed on. I didn’t know anyone in LA but I could not risk being recognized. I went into one luxury store after the other and my goodness it felt so good to be free.
The last time I was in the US, shopping like this came with armed guards following me everywhere but now I was doing this without attracting any attention to myself. It was liberating.
After a quick snack at the food court, I rounded up everything by going into one of the salons and giving myself an altering makeover.