"...Dysfunctional or not we are still a family and we fit like pieces of a puzzle..."

Ni

There are so many things about me that I wouldn't want Keira to find out. These are the sort of secrets that will scare her away. I don't want to explain why a black SUV is following us. It has been following us since we left the airport. It was the same thing when I was bringing Madeline to the vineyard. But Kei is too lost in her mind to notice. Maybe Athena exhausted her to silence. She was with us until 2am in the morning. She wouldn't stop talking.

"Are you all right?" I asked with my eyes fixed on the road. She's not responding. Her head is turned towards the window. I would guess it's the scenic view of the ascending sun over the Balotelli vineyard but it's not that. She is different. She's not the same woman I had breakfast with the day she nearly died. I rested my hand on her knee. I can feel the warmth of her body through the light dress. "Keira."

"Yes?" She looked at me.

"Are you all right?"

"No."

"What's wrong?"

"I don't think you'll like the answer to that."

The SUV is still trailing us and increasing it's speed steadily. I have to address them before they cut me off. What will I tell Kei if they do?

"Put a pin on that honey." I came to a stop on the side of the long road leading to the villa. I got out of the car. "Stay in the car. Don't come out." I approached the SUV. Two men came out. "Why are you following me?"

"Signor Balotelli, Signor Mancini would like a word."

"Now? It's 6:30am in the morning!" I complained.

"It's not our business to question him. Get in the car." One of them opened the back door of the SUV.

If I get in the car, I'll leave Keira and I don't want to do that.

"One hour. Give me an hour and I'll see him."

They looked at each other. The one holding the door open is speaking to someone. I walked towards him only to see Russo in the back seat.

"An hour it is. We will follow you just to be sure you don't slip away."

"Fine." I walked back to the car.

"Who are those men?" Keira asked me.

"Family friends. They have forgotten the way home. They will follow." I started the car and drove off. True to their word, they are following. "What's on your mind? We need to talk about it."

"I have been thinking about what happened to me. I didn't imagine it. Margaux pushed me. When she came to my door, she threatened me. She carried out her threat. My mind has been lingering over it. I almost died. I'm not sure if I want to go through that again."

We are approaching the villa. I can see it. "What does that mean?" I took a second to look at her. Our eyes met momentarily before I paid attention to the road.

"It means this has to end."

"You're breaking up with me."

"Yes I am."

I gripped the steering wheel tightly. "Don't do that Kei."

"What we are doing is wrong."

I hit the breaks suddenly and so did the SUV. "Was it wrong when we were at the wedding and you wanted us to make love? Wad it wrong then?"

"Nickolas-"

"What's with the sudden explosion of a conscience?" I questioned her.

"Stop shouting at me!" She screamed. She ran her fingers through her hair. "Stop shouting. Stop it. It is what it is. It's wrong and not even our feelings for each other can justify our actions! Terrible marriage partners or not, we should not be doing this! And now you're taking me to your home where your parents are and what will you say them? How will you introduce me to them? Mistress? The other woman? And who are you to me? The other man? Don't you see how messed up it is?"

"The lens I'm looking through isn't messed up. The solution is simple. We should both get divorced. I'm working on my divorce but you need to do that too for the sake of your conscience."

"It's not simple."

"It is. Serve him divorce papers! You look like you're suffocating in that marriage so why are you self punishing by staying? Why?"

"Because it's complicated!"

"You don't owe him anything! Didn't I pay it off? Didn't I? So why are you still with him? It's starting to feel like you're using me to get off!"

She stared at me with eyes glistening with tears. I feel there's something she wants to tell me but her lips are so tightly pressed together, she won't even speak.

"I'm not using you. I didn't ask you to pay it off. You did that on your own for whatever reason. I just know that you didn't ask me what I wanted! You went behind my back to my father."

"And while I was at it, going behind your back, he approved of my intentions so deal with it! I have 45 million reasons why you should be in my life. I don't fucking care about your husband or the futility of your marriage. I only care about what I want and what works for us and this works. You just need to put in the work!"

She remained silent for a moment, making me feel like I'm being unfair. Keira is indecisive and she's timid. She needs someone to step up and make th difficult decisions and that person is me. If I have to be hard on her so that she gets to where I want us to be, so be it.

"Don't introduce me as your girlfriend. Introduce me as a friend. Please."

"We are not friends."

"For the next three days, we are. We have to be. Don't hold my hand. Don't kiss me. Don't touch me. Please, not here. It feels wrong."

"I make no promises." I started the car again, speeding towards the estate. She began fixing herself up, dabbing her eyes dry.

Every morning nonno sits by the fountain, having his coffee. He says it's a habit he developed when he would sit there looking towards the long driveway waiting for my mother to come back. She ran away from home when she was only 16 years old.

He stood up when he saw two cars approaching. Russo is staying close.

"That's my grandfather. I'll leave you here for a few hours. I have business to take care of."

"You'll leave me here? Alone?"

"With the stones and the trees!" I exclaimed sarcastically. "I'm sorry. That came out wrong. Just introduce yourself however you please." I stopped the car.

I walked around it like the gentleman I was raised to be and opened the door for her. She stepped out with her eyes on me. "Are you mad at me?"

"No. I'm mad at myself for expecting you to appreciate what I have done for you." I slammed her door shut. Three servants approached. They greeted me and I responded. I gave them the car key.

"Nonno." I gave him a quick hug.

"The black SUV?"

"Mancini. I have to go."

"And the girl? Who is the girl?"

"Honestly, I don't know anymore. Take care of her."

Keira is still standing by the car. She wrapped her fingers around my wrist. Her eyes are pleading but I yanked my arm free and walked away.

I got into the back seat of the SUV. Russo is smiling wickedly. "She's beautiful. You do realize you just gave us something to use against you, right?"

"I would prefer if you don't talk to me." I told him flatly.

Keira's POV

The servants have already taken our bags from the car and I'm still glued beside it. There's a man standing next to the fountain. He's looking my way expectantly.

I can't believe he just left me here like that.

I approached the man.

"Buongiorno signorina." He smiled at me. I returned his smile. He offered his hand to me. "My name is Giovanni Balotelli. But everyone calls me Gio."

"Hi Gio. My name is Keira..." And what is my second name? Ballard? Burke? "Keira Ballard."

"You hesitated." He smiled warmly. "Welcome to my home. This way please." I walked beside him. "You must get this a lot but you are a beautiful girl."

"Thank you. You don't look so bad yourself." He burst out laughing. I giggled.

"I like you." We stopped in front of the front door. "So, Nicko has not presented you. It seems he has left that to you. Who are you to my grandson?"

"I'm a... a friend. We are friends." I spoke quickly.

Gio simply nodded. "Good luck with that." He opened the door and gestured me into the warm home. The Yellow on the walls is welcoming. The terracotta tiles on the floor are shiny. It feels like home. "Make yourself at home. Nicko will be back soon."

Nicko. I like that.

I approached the fireplace and started looking at some pictures. Nick is young in all the pictures. None if them are of him at the Age he is now.

His mother is beautiful just like Athena said.

I looked in the direction of the sound of heels on the floor. Someone is humming, a woman. She walked right past the arched entry to the living room with her long dark hair floating behind her. The humming suddenly ceased and she walked backwards, her eyes intent on me. I smiled at her but she only stared at me.

"Auditions are in Rome. I do interviews in my home. Okay?" She has an Italian accent like her father. With Nick it is completely absent. I don't know what she's talking about.

"What?"

"You are a model, no?" She approached me. My eyes dropped down to the red shoes. Athena was right. Her shoe game is on point.

"I love your shoes." I smiled at her.

She looked down and smiled back. She has q beautiful smile. "Why thank you! You are a model."

"Oh no! I'm not a model."

"You have the height." She made circles around me. "Very good looks! Excellent bone structure on your face. Here is my card. You should model."

I received the card with a smile. I used to model when I was a teenager. I won a few titles but that was then. My mother got bored of it after she successfully lived vicariously through me.

"Thank you."

We stared at each other, her gaze curious and intrusive. "So who are you?"

"My name is Keira. I'm Nick's friend."

She burst out laughing and even clapped her hands. She laughed so much that tears pooled at the corners of her eyes. "You're so funny! Yeah right. Nick's friend! I'm Grace Kelly of Monaco!"

"I am."

"No bambina, you're not. Nick is incapable of being friends with someone who has a different anatomy from him." She pointed below my belly. Her laughter faded and she frowned. "Seriously, who are you?"

"Maria! Don't harass our guest." Thank goodness Gio is back. "Nicko dropped her off and he left."

"You mean he fled like he did when he dropped off his daughter? Is this a day care now? Girlfriends... no. Mistresses and children?"

"Mrs Bale-"

"Uh-uh bambina. I'm not Mrs Bale. That title is for a French witch flying around on a broom. I'm Marianna Balotelli. You can call me Marianna. Hmmm?"

"Marianna, I'm not his... mistress."

She nodded. "Whatever you tell yourself to sleep at night. Scusi." She walked away quickly.

"Tea or coffee?" Gio asked me.

"The guest room and a bed to rest on will be better."

This is exactly what I was afraid of. I am his mistress and it is a shameful position.