Mafia Queen

Chapter Thirteen

Charlotte

This seemed like a much better idea two hours ago when I was at home. Now, as I stood staring up at the huge building that the Chronicle was officed in, I was having second thoughts.

A sharp pain pulsed in my back from falling asleep in the recliner in Cole's room. I'd tossed and turned for hours in our bed, not getting a minute of sleep without Luca. I never slept well without him, and I couldn't turn my mind off. So, too pissed off and stubborn to admit defeat, I let myself fall asleep in the chair when I went in to feed Cole.

Luca woke me up at 7:30 AM with a cup of coffee. We barely said ten words to each other before he had to jet off to the office, and what we did say was awkward and forced. I was actually relieved when he left. I didn't even know how to act around him right now. This giant cloud was looming over us, and as much as I wanted to ignore it, it was all I could see.

I wanted to believe him. Every fiber in my body wanted to believe what he was telling me. Seeing him hold another woman in his arms like that was like taking a punch straight to the gut. It still made me sick to even think about it.

I kept trying to make it make sense in my mind. To come up with some reason why he would need to be alone with another woman in a hotel room in the middle of the night. I hadn't found one yet, but I was holding out hope. I had to.

I couldn't fathom the fact that Luca would throw our entire lives away so easily. He fought so hard for us so many times that the idea of him cheating was almost incomprehensible. If I hadn't found the shirt, if I hadn't held the picture in my own two hands, I wouldn't even be entertaining the thought.

I couldn't just sit at home without making myself nuts, and our house was somewhat of a home base for everyone who worked for Luca. Especially Marco and Angelo, and right now, I couldn't face either of them.

So somehow I had decided that coming to the Chronicle to talk to Claire was a good idea. Luca said the story was supposed to run this afternoon. I didn't even know why I was here. Did I think I could convince her not to run it? Did I want to see the proof that she had? There was no way this could end well.

I took a deep breath and stepped inside. The Chronicle was on the 6th floor and I rode the elevator up, my hands trembling the entire time. The floor was bustling with people. I'd never been here before and had no idea where to go to find Claire. The receptionist met my eyes and smiled, realizing I needed some help.

"Can I help you find someone?" She clicked her tongue at me.

"I'm looking for Claire." I said.

"Third door on the right." She pointed over her shoulder.

"Thank you." I smiled politely and walked around the desk.

I made my way to the door and paused, trying to get up the courage to go inside. I'd seen this woman twice in my life. Once when she was giving Luca a blow job in his office and again when I told her I was Luca's wife. Neither time had been all that pleasant.

I knocked on the door softly and heard her voice on the other end saying to come in. Our eyes locked, both at a loss for words.

"Um, hello. My name is..." I started.

"I know who you are, Charlotte, and I'm pretty confident I know why you're in my office today." She stood up and gestured to the chair in front of her desk. "Please sit down."

I sat on the edge of the chair cautiously.

"If you're here to ask me to pull the article, let me save you the breath. It's out of my hands." She said pointedly.