Levi

Chapter thirteen

There was a pit in her stomach as Valentina entered her building. Confusion clouded her mind as she tried to figure out whether she was relieved to be back, or disappointed. Both Sicily and New York did not feel like home, as in New York she lacked family, and in Sicily she lacked comfortability.

She went up with the elevator, fishing her keys our of her purse and then when she finally arrived at her front door, she had decided. It was relief she felt. Because she could finally go on with being perfect Valentina. And she could finally be alone.

She opened her front door and the familiarity of her apartment hit her in a wave of pleasure. This was home, she told herself. But then, she noticed some infamiliarities. All alarmbells went off in her head and she went into instant fight mode.

She kneeled down and grabbed the black briefcase. It wasn't hers. Someone has been in her apartment, and was possibly still here. For a moment, Dominic crossed her mind. But she knew it wasn't him. He doesn't use briefcases. It was the one thing they always ridicule together.

She continued her way through the corridor, her steps feather light and her breathing fast. She knew she should turn around and run away as fast as she can, call the cops and wait for them to handle it. But she was too damn curious.

A blue shirt on the floor right next to the door to the bathroom caught her gaze, and she instantly knew that it was a males'.

The possibility of someone breaking and entering crossed her mind, and she knew that it might actually be an intruder. She had been gone for a good 5 days, that's plenty of time for someone to break into her house, and even start to inhabit it.

But it just didn't make any sense.

Someone who uses something as fancy as a briefcase wouldn't have to break and enter someone else's home. But then again, she's had plenty of rich clients who did illegal things just for the Hell of it.

As she neared the livingroom, she heard a TV- a football game playing. But she didn't have a TV. For a moment she considered having entered the wrong apartment. But she knew that couldn't be it. This was her apartment. And there was a strange man in her house, watching TV.

And it got her so damn angry, to know someone had the nerve to break into her home, throw his shit around and make a mess of her house and then casually watch a football game on a TV they'd just brought into her house like it was their own. Valentina was ready to breake someone's god damn nose at that point.

She was right in front of the door to the livingroom, and it was open. She could easily sneak a peek, but instead stayed hidden behind the wall to talk some courage into herself.

Then, slowly and sneakily, with her heart trashing against her ribcage, she peeked her head around the dooropening.

''What the Hell do you think you're doing?!'' She snapped, emerging from behind the wall, her fear from mere moments ago vanishing to nothingness.

''Val, baby, you're here!'' He said, rising from his seat in the couch with a glass of what seemed to be Whiskey in his hand.

''I helped myself to a drink.'' He then said, raising his glass to her.

''It seems you've helped yourself to a lot more than just a drink.'' The annoyance and anger in her voice was not to be missed.

He looked so damn comfortable in her house, wearing sweatpants, watching the game and sipping his drink. There were so many questions going through her head, she was getting dizzy.

''Don't look so angry, we're married now. What's mine is yours and whats yours is mine.'' He said, the smile on his face looking like it was going to be a pain to wipe off.