Kiss Me Goodbye

Prologue

"... I mean that I'm sorry but this isn't working. Here's your ring back. I don't mean to break your heart but I cannot keep living a lie." She whispered.

"Christiana, what do you mean a lie?" Matt Geraldo almost shouted holding his ex-fiancé by the shoulders and shaking her as if to wake her up the ring still in her hand. They were standing under the staircase at her family house. The black and white dress she wore made her look even thinner than she already was. Her eyes were a bit swollen and red and her face deathly pale. "What do you mean a lie?" Matt repeated through clenched teeth, "It wasn't a lie, at least not to me!" Then he checked himself relaxed his iron grip looked into her terrified eyes and tried to reason with her "Your head is all messed up, baby. Your parents' death was hard on you I know that so I'll just..." He exhales heavily, "I'll just wait a while. You take your time but think carefully before you make a reckless decision."

Matt was a muscular man black hair and dark eyes that sparkled with fatal controlled rage, and promised to bring disasters if ever unleashed. He wore a thick gold chain around his neck and a gold ring a medium-sized ruby imbedded in it on the pinky of his right hand. His white shirt wasn't tucked under his black trousers and was half unbuttoned to show off a mattress of black curly thick chest hair. Its sleeves were rolled up inside the house because of the stuffiness of the space where the breaths of dozens of men and women mingled.

He let her go completely, racked his fingers through his hair with his right hand then placed his left hand in his trouser pocket and turned around to leave but Christiana brushed her hand on his forearm to prevent him from going. He turned and stared at her seemingly impatient. His broad shoulders totally eclipsed Christiana's view of her other guests and his hard chest was at her eye level. A little scared she looked at his powerful thorax and said:

"There's no use in waiting any longer I've made up my mind. I already thought this through and I'm willing to take my chances. I will not change my mind. I..." she hesitated not wanting to reveal her plans to someone she hadn't cared about and wouldn't be a part of her life in the future then decided to tell him the truth anyway for the sake of their families' old friendship. "...I am going to New York. First thing in the morning I'm packing up my bags and leaving and you might never see my face again so this is goodbye." Christiana extended her hand for a formal farewell handshake but then took a step backward as she saw the anger blaze in his eyes, though his face was like a mask. He didn't allow himself to betray his feelings but his eyes were treacherous at least in her opinion.

He extended his hand oh-so-slowly and she placed hers in his firm grasp the ring was transferred thus to him. To the beholders it seemed as if it was a simple civilized gesture but to them it wasn't anything civilized it was a mere society rule they had to abide by.

If it was left up to him he would have strangled her right then and there. If it were up to her she wouldn't have told him the truth face to face she would have written him a letter that he wouldn't have received until she arrived in New York. She was a coward she admitted to herself but then again it was self-preservation for if the look she interpreted in his eyes was half what she expected she should hold up her skirt and start running for her life. And she hadn't realized yet how true her thoughts were and how well she could read into his eyes.

Matt returned to the large living room to sit again on the sofa next to his father, Massimo, a man in his late forties. He had wrinkles on the side of his eyes and looked much older than his years. His belly was large; come to think of it he looked like he was expecting, Christy thought and laughed mentally. He was half bald and wore a gold and emerald ring on his right pinky and a thick golden chain on his neck just like his son.

Next to Massimo sat Mrs. Geraldo his wife, a petite woman with raven black hair sheathed in black from head to toe. If your eyes traveled over her little form you could notice the devil in the details from her small black hat with small black veil to her black earrings, to the black silk tight dress and matching gloves, and delicately embroidered black stockings and her shiny black stilettos. She also held in her hands an engraved black tissue to wipe her tears. The age difference between her and her husband was clear in each of her delicately etched features. She was in her late twenties about 6 years older that Christiana herself. Of course she wasn't Matt's mother; she is the trophy wife of a millionaire.