Dinner on Friday

57. Carla

A THING OF BEAUTY

The flight to Hawaii was long, but I had nothing to complain about since we flew on a private jet.

Alonzo's disappearance weighed on my mind, and I often thought about calling Annabella. I didn't know if I was feeling sympathetic because of our baby, but anyway, I knew she was having a hard time right now.

"Can I use your phone to call Annabella?" I asked Dante as he was hanging our clothes in the closet of the villa we were staying in. My wheelchair was parked facing the giant glass windows of our beach house. This was the most at peace I've felt in weeks.

Dante passed me the phone and kissed my temple. Although we hadn't been intimate, he couldn't stop himself from kissing my face or touching my belly. I liked that I was getting to know him in a non-sexual way.

"Is this about Alonzo?" he asked.

"Yes. He's missing because you tried to contact me. He had nothing to do with our drama. He's just a child." I scrolled down his call log until I saw Annabella's name.

"Well, I'm the one who killed Mathias in a rage without first finding out where Alonzo was. I feel like a piece of shit. Anna secretly hates me, but she's not saying anything. Maybe she thinks this is what she deserves for sparing her life after she caused Eduardo's death. Who knows." He hung up a beautiful white dress I hadn't seen before. I eyed him as a new pair of silver heels appeared on the closet's lowest shelf.

What was he up to?

"At least you're doing everything in your power to find him. She knows that." I pressed Anna's name, and the phone started ringing. It rang for a while, making me doubt my decision to call. I almost hung up but decided that this was something I had to do.

At the time, Anna did what she did for love. It was misguided, dumb, and reckless, but maybe it was time I forgave her for it.

"Hi, Dante. Any news?" Anna sounded exhausted, and her voice sounded hoarse from crying.

"I'm sorry, but no. You're speaking to Carla, by the way. I wanted to check on you." There was a pause on the other end, causing me to hold my breath.

"Thank you," Anna replied, her voice breaking slightly. "I didn't expect to hear from you, but I appreciate the call."

"I'm so sorry, Anna. I know this is all because of the mess we created," I said. "But we're doing everything we can to find him. Dante is using all his resources."

"I know," she sighed. "It's just... hard. It's like he vanished into thin air. Every day that passes, I feel like I'm losing hope."

"Don't lose hope," I urged. "Dante told me that Alonzo is strong, and we're not giving up. We'll find him."

There was another pause, and then Annabella spoke again, softer this time. "Thank you for calling. It means a lot."

"Of course," I said. "We're in this together, no matter what."

"Carla?"

"Yes."

"I'm sorry about Eduardo. I just wanted you to know that."

Her apology caught me off guard, and I didn't know what to say. Eventually, I thanked her, and after a few more words of encouragement, I ended the call and handed the phone back to Dante. He looked at me, his eyes full of admiration.

"I fucking love you," he said.

I smiled. "I know."

"We're going to find him," he continued, filled with conviction.