LONELY HEARTS (COMPLETE)

Chapter 13: The Aftermath

Gemma stood in the shower, staring at the white tile in front of her. Her hands were stretched out in front of her and the scalding hot water was streaming down her face. "Maybe if the water is hot enough it'll wash away all this shit". The blood ran down her body and onto the floor, pooling beneath her feet. She closed her eyes and all she could see was the gun and Sage's face. Then Matteo's face came into view and she forced her eyes to open at the sight of it. She wasn't even angry, she was numb and couldn't even feel a damn thing.

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A week had passed and work was unbelievably busy. With Sage gone, the only other senior lawyer inherited all his cases and Gemma had to update him on everything they'd been working on. People in the office were gossiping and spreading rumors around, wondering what had happened to Sage. Gemma was walking to the copier when she overheard a few people in the break room. She stopped by door, she couldn't help but eavesdrop.

"God, what do you think happened to him?", Jane asked.

"I bet he finally saved up enough money from those thugs to move to an island", someone snickered.

"No way, he probably pissed the wrong person off finally, the man's gone", joked another. "Man had no wife and kids, no ones gonna miss that guy".

Gemma closed her eyes after that comment and walked away.

It was finally Friday and it was Gemma's responsibility to clear out Sage's office. She was the only one in there, packing away his things. She first started stacking books into cardboard boxes, then shredded any classified documents. As she was packing away the remaining books, she stumbled upon the wooden box again.

"Damn it, I wish I never saw this thing", she cursed.

She grabbed the key and opened the cabinet. Gemma didn't have a clue what she should do with the files. She knew she didn't want to go to the police and she didn't want anyone to find them. She grabbed the stack of papers and stuffed them into her briefcase.

After finishing up, Gemma closes up shop and started heading for her car until she saw something out of the corner of her eye. She turned to look only to see nothing, just the sidewalk and a few people at the cafe down the block. "Great, now I'm seeing things", she thought.

Gemma parks her car in front of her apartment building. As she climbs out, she sees a figure again in her peripheral vision. She turns for a second time and still, nothing there. "Okay, I just need sleep". Just as she starts ascending for the stairs, she spots a guard sitting on the bench on the side of the building. Gemma immediately recognizes him as one of Matteo's men and now she's livid. Not missing a beat, she stomps her way over to the bench.

"What are you doing here!?", she demands,"have you been following me this entire time?" The associate looks surprised as if he didn't think she would actually approach him.

"Yes, Mr. Ciccone request that we keep an eye on you  for a while to make sure you've adjusted back to your normal routine", he answers.

"We!?"

The guard motions behind her and she turns to look. There, just a few parking spots away from her car was a black SUV. Gemma bites her lip in anger and just stares at the SUV for a minute.

She turns to him, "Please tell Mr. Ciccone that I don't need a babysitter. I'm fine and if he really cared about me, he would ask me himself". She turns on her heels and starts to walk off, suddenly switching her pace to a brisk one. Why did she say that? Did a part of her miss him? Did a part of her wish for him to visit her? Could she seriously still feel something for him after what he had done? Gemma could feel the tears welling up in her eyes. Embarrassed, she runs up the steps and slams the door behind her. She slides down to the floor, her back against the door. Gemma could no longer hold it in and gives into her silent cries.

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Another two weeks had passed and Gemma finally had a weekend off in what seemed like forever. It was Saturday night and it was lightly drizzling over the city. She pops open a brand new bottle of whiskey and heads for the cabinet. She reaches in for a glass only to change her mind at the last second. She closes the cupboard and brings the bottle with her to the balcony.

She lies back on her patio chair and takes a swig from the bottle. This was the first time in weeks that she had time to herself and she hated it. All she could do was think about Matteo and the night that everything went to shit. Work only paused her thoughts and alcohol didn't drown them any better. She stares at the view in front of her, the city lights twinkling between raindrops.

She drank into the early hours of the morning until half the bottle was gone. She got up from her chair and pressed her body against the railing. She looked down at the side of the building, the same guard was sitting on the bench as he had been the last few weeks. She felt a pang in her chest, her heart tightened in sadness. It was only then was she disappointed Matteo hadn't visited her.

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Matteo was also sitting on his balcony. He'd been drinking and chain-smoking that night and was too lost in his own thoughts.

The last few weeks had been tough for Matteo. He couldn't focus during his meetings, he wasn't overseeing any of his operations, and even his guys were starting to wonder what was going on with him. He'd been in a haze ever since the night he shot Sage. He regretted it, but it had already been done. In a drunken daze, he thought about what she could be doing at this very moment not knowing that they were both staring at the same moon.