Unfinished Business

Epilogue

Eight months later...

"Il mio amore, you're getting lost in your thoughts again."

My grandmother pulls me back to the present, and I give her a reassuring smile. Last thing I want is to worry and stress her out.

"I'm not Nonna. I was just thinking about the projects I will have to do once I get back to work full-time."

It's a nice summer day in Rome, and we decided to go out on the town and enjoy some gelato. The city is full of tourists and the streets are lively with vendors and artists. This has been my home for months now, and soon I will have to go back.

My physical recovery went well, and when I came here, my grandparents opened their home to me with open arms. They were fully aware of the incident and said I could stay for however long I wanted. And although I still have some scars visible on my body, I still have some pain in my heart.

I practically left my life behind in Seattle. No one knows I came to Italy except my parents, Trent and Bret. I have kept in touch with Lexi and Joey, but I didn't give them much info of my whereabouts.

Leah and Susan have updated me on Dereck from time to time. At first, it hurt so much to leave him. I cried almost every night for a month. Heartaches are a bitch, trust me. Now, I'm doing way better dealing with it, and I know that I just have to be happy for him, knowing that he's getting better. He still doesn't know me yet, and no memories of us has resurfaced.

I haven't heard much on Aiden. I knew he recovered from his wounds well, and he's been busy working, taking over as CEO. A few months ago, I was told that he's been trying to look for me, but had no luck. I'd be lying if I said that I didn't miss him like crazy.

I learned to look at the good things in life, and grow as a person. I was lucky to be loved by two great men, and I loved them back. I still do. Nonna said it's only human, and experiencing a love like I had for Aiden or Dereck, was a rare one.

"Don't think about that. Just enjoy the day, il mio amore. The afternoon sun is gorgeous. Would you like to walk around some more?" She asks me.

I smile at her. We've been here for hours now, and I know she's ready to head back home. I can see she's tired, but she wants to keep me company.

"Nonna, you go on ahead back home. I'll tell Bret to accompany you, and then he can come back and fetch me." I wave over to my favorite body guard and let him know. He's been awesome accompanying me here in Italy.

He decided himself that he wanted to stick by my side. Although Aiden was the one who hired him in the first place, he didn't give any clues to where I would be. Bret actually quit working for Aiden a week after we arrived in Italy, and he offered his service to my family. I didn't mind. I liked having him around.

"Are you sure, Katalina?"

"Of course, Nonna," I reassure her. "I'm just going to walk around a bit more, see all the vendors, go to the fountain, or the park."

"Alright then," she stands and leans over, kissing me on the cheeks. She then turns to Bret and smiles. "Let's go, big guy."

He looks down at me, wondering what I'm going to do. "Take her home then come back for me. I'll be around here, not too far. Just call me when you arrive and I'll let you know where I'm at," I tell him.

He nods. "Will do, Miss Katalina."

After they leave, I pay and go wander. It's so lively in the afternoon with all the people enjoying their day. I get stopped a few times, getting asked to take pictures for tourists. I happily oblige, liking the feeling of being seen as a normal person. I did choose to wear cut off shorts, a laced shirt, sandals, and shades with my hair up. I look like any other teenage tourist here in Rome.

I head to the plaza, where there's vendors, painters, photographers, families, and children everywhere. I find an empty bench under a tree to take a break. The sun's heat is finally beating down on me. I guess I'll let Bret know I'm here.

After I text him, I feel something small hit my calf. I look down and see a small toy plane. I pick it up and see two little boys running towards me. I stand and walk towards them. I kneel down to their height as I hand them the plane.

"E tuo? (Is this yours?)" I ask.

"Si, grazie signora!" The older boy tells me as he takes it from me. He hands it to the younger boy, who looks like his younger brother.

The younger boy takes it, but then comes forward and kisses my cheek. I smile as I stand, ruffling both of their hairs then telling them to run off. I go back to my bench and watch them.

Checking my phone again, I see a text from Bret, telling me that he is on his way. Again, I feel something hit my calf. It must be the boys' plane again. I look down, and see that it's not. Instead, it's just a regular paper plane.

I pick it up, smirking, recalling a memory of paper planes. I look around to see if this belonged to some kid. No one was running up to me.

I examine the plane. It's neatly folded, and it looks like someone was actually investing time into folding this piece of paper. Flipping it over to the underside, I see some letterings. Curious, I unfold the contraption and open it up.

Can things just go back to the way they were? I can't bear to lose you in my life.

My heart skips a beat. I said those exact same words to someone, what feels like a long time ago. I flip the piece of paper over to check if there's a name, but there isn't. It has to be a coincidence. I shake my head.

Bret texts, saying he found a parking spot outside the plaza. I call him, telling him that I'm on my way and to just wait for me there.

It's fairly crowded as I try to make my exit. It sure is difficult maneuvering my way out. I'm still clutching the piece of paper which was formally a plane. For some reason, it held a meaning. I almost stumbled as some kids run by quickly, right in front of my path, but I stopped just in time. Not checking in front of me before I continued again, I bumped into a person.

"Ah, mi dispiace! (I'm sorry)" I tell the stranger.

"Even when walking, you need to check for on-coming pedestrians. You can't just be walking recklessly. You obviously walk the same way you drive: with no concern at all."

I stand frozen, looking down. It's not a coincidence, nor am I hallucinating. The voice is so familiar, one I know so well. I look up, confirming everything.

Cliff hanger? Well please watch out for the next book! "Conflict of Interest" will be out very soon. Thanks for sticking with this story. After so long, it's finally done! Now on to the next adventure!