The Queen of Him

Valentina: Rough Day

As I was about to message Antonio, my phone buzzed with a notification. It was from him, asking me to meet him at the beach. I hesitated for a moment, wondering if it was a good idea given everything that had happened between us, but ultimately decided to go. I put on my beach clothes and headed out.

When I got there, I saw Antonio with another girl, laughing and joking around. My heart sank, and I felt a pang of jealousy and hurt. How could he move on so quickly? Did he even care about me at all?

Antonio noticed me and made his way over. "Hey, Valentina," he said, smiling. "I'm glad you came."

I tried to force a smile but failed miserably. "Who's she?" I asked, gesturing to the girl next to him.

"This is my friend, Maria," he said. "We were just catching up."

"Right," I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm. "Catching up."

Antonio frowned. "Valentina, what's wrong?"

"What's wrong?" I repeated incredulously. "What's wrong is that I come here to see you, and you're with another fucking girl! How do you think that makes me feel?"

Antonio sighed. "Valentina, it's not what you think. Maria and I are just friends. You know that."

"Sure," I said, rolling my eyes. "Just like you and I were just friends, right?"

"That's not fair," he said. "You know how I feel about you. But you can't just expect me to sit around and wait for you forever."

I felt a wave of anger wash over me. "Sit around and wait for me? You were the one who messed things up in the first place!"

"I know," he said, his voice softening. "And I'm sorry. I've been trying to change, Valentina, I really have. But it's not easy."

"It's not easy?" I repeated, incredulous. "Do you have any idea how hard it's been for me? Seeing you with other girls, wondering if you're ever going to commit to me? I can't keep doing this, Antonio. I can't keep putting my heart on the line for someone who doesn't care enough to change."

Antonio looked like he had been punched in the gut. "Valentina, please don't say that. I care about you more than anything. You know that."

"Then why do you keep hurting me?" I said, tears streaming down my face. "Why can't you just be honest with me? Do you even want to be with me?"

Antonio looked like he was about to say something, but then hesitated. "I don't know," he said finally. "I don't know what I want. But I know I don't want to lose you."

"It's too late for that," I said, my voice cracking. "I can't keep going through this, Antonio. I need someone who's going to be there for me, who's going to love me the way I deserve to be loved."

Antonio took a step towards me, reaching out to touch my arm. "Valentina, please don't go. Let's talk about this. We can work it out."

But I pulled away. "No, Antonio. I can't do this anymore. I need time to think. Maybe we both do."

With that, I turned and walked away, tears streaming down my face. I heard Antonio calling after me, but I didn't stop. It was time for me to take a step back and figure out what I really wanted

As I walked into the house, I knew that my siblings would notice that something was off. My face was red, my eyes were puffy, and I was visibly upset. I tried my best to put on a smile and act like everything was fine, but I could tell that it wasn't working.
"Hey, Valentina, what's wrong?" Vanessa asked, noticing my mood immediately.

I shook my head, not wanting to talk about it. "Nothing, just had a rough day."

But my siblings weren't going to let it go that easily. Roman stood up and walked over to me, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Come on, Valentina, we can tell that something's bothering you. You know you can talk to us about anything."

I took a deep breath and looked at my siblings, feeling grateful for their concern. "It's Antonio," I finally admitted, tears welling up in my eyes. "I thought he had changed, but I saw him at the beach with another girl. I feel so stupid for ever believing he was different."

My siblings all looked at each other, clearly angry at Antonio for hurting me. "He's a fucking idiot," Giovanni spoke up, his tone laced with anger. "You deserve someone who treats you with respect, Valentina."

Dominic nodded in agreement. "You don't need someone who's going to make you doubt yourself and your worth. We're here for you, no matter what."

I felt a sense of relief wash over me as my siblings surrounded me with their support. Even though I was hurting, I knew that I had them by my side, and that made all the difference.