Turn Towards the Sun: Book Three- Forever in Bloom (The Sunflower Trilogy) (22 page)

“I love you, Ava.”

“I know, Enzo.”

“Tell me you love me too. I’ll live on it until I see you again.”

“I love you too, Enzo. I will until I take my last breath.”

I turn and walk away, looking back only once as Enzo’s beautiful face fades from my sight.

THE LOVE OF my life, the only love I’ve ever known, just walked out. I’ve always feared that my insane life was too much for her to bear and now it’s confirmed. She’s ruined and heartbroken because of me. Nothing else matters until Ava is back with me again. I pushed her away and I have no idea if I can get her back.

Pacing across my bedroom, my mind races. I don’t believe for one moment that woman is pregnant with my child. I feel nothing but fury towards her right now, pregnant or not. I won’t stop until Anna pays for what she has done- even if she has to pay with her life.

I pick up Ava’s nightgown that lays casually on the chaise lounge and inhale her lingering scent. She’s gone and it’s my fault. I can’t live without her. I won’t live without her. I have to get her back.

I CALL MY parents from Denver International Airport as I stand waiting at the curbside pickup. I called before I left Phoenix and told them I was on my way and I would explain more when I got here. I have no idea how I’m going to tell my parents about all of this. They will hate Enzo.

Wiping tears from my cheeks, I wave when I see my dad’s car pull up. It’s then that I notice Danny hovering nearby and realize he followed me here. Instead of anger, it makes me feel a bit relieved. For all I know, Anna could follow me here too. I ignore him and climb in my dad’s car.

“Hey, princess. Why so sad? Did you two have a fight?”

“It’s more than that, dad. I’m not ready to talk about it, if that’s okay. I’m just glad to be here.”

“You’re always welcome here, you know that. Your mom is home making your favorite cupcakes. How long are you staying?”

“I don’t know yet.” Possibly forever. I pull out my phone and text Cassie.

Me:
I’m in Denver. Tell Enzo for me. Thx.

Cassie:
Why don’t you tell him? Ava, he’s dying without you.

Me:
I can’t.

Cassie:
Ok. I’ll tell him. Love ya, girl.

Me:
Love you too.

The drive to my parent’s house takes thirty minutes. Thankfully, my dad fills the time catching me up on various happenings around town, while I stare somberly out the window. This is the last place on Earth I ever wanted to come back to.

My phone buzzes and I see a text from Enzo.

Enzo:
Amore, I’m thankful you arrived safely. Please don’t be angry but I sent security, just in case. I love you. Please talk to me.

I turn off my phone knowing that if I respond it will only result in another tearful conversation and I just can’t handle that at the moment. We pull up to my parent’s house and I notice that Danny pulls up two houses down. He won’t have much work to do. I plan to stay holed up inside my parent’s house until I can figure out how to face the world again.

As soon as my mom sees me she runs towards me and hugs me, already in tears. “Ava, dear. It can’t be so bad you had to leave?”

“Yes, I’m afraid it is.”

“You can tell us. We love you and Enzo no matter what,” she says.

“Unless he hurt you. Did he touch you, Ava?” my dad asks.

“Oh God no, daddy. Enzo would never do something like that.” I sigh and realize I need to at least tell them some of it. There’s still a chance I could be in danger. “Anna, the woman that tried to hurt me before is back. She’s been stalking me and she successfully stole my identity.” I sit down on the sofa and take a deep breath before I say this next part. “It seems she may have drugged Enzo while I was at grandpa’s funeral and well, she may have been able to get him in a compromising situation.”

“Compromising situation? Ava, quit talking fancy and tell us what you mean,” my dad says.

“She had sex with him, daddy.” As soon as I say it I start to cry again. “She’s claiming to be pregnant.” Now I’m sobbing uncontrollably. My parents both rush to me and wrap their arms around me.

“Now, now dear. You say Enzo was drugged?” my dad asks.

Nodding my head, I answer tearfully. “Yes. We’re sure of that part. Enzo would never cheat on me. He loves me.”

“Of course he does,” my mom says, kissing my head.

“Well, why did you leave? Doesn’t Enzo need you right now?”

I look up at my dad. He doesn’t understand the gravity of it all. From his point of view, it sounds like Enzo is the victim and I’m a heartless bitch for leaving. Maybe that’s the truth. “I just needed some space from it all. Listen, I’m really tired. Can I go lay down?”

“I set your room up for you. Do you want a cupcake?” my mom asks.

“Not right now. Thanks though.” I take my bag and climb the stairs to my bedroom. Sitting on my tiny twin bed, I look around the room and wish I could turn back time to when I was happy. It wasn’t that long ago that my future with Enzo was so bright. We had our home, our work, and our baby on the way. Now, just a few months later, my life lies in ruins at my feet. Will I ever be happy again?

I ROLL OVER in bed and hit my knee on the wall. As the pain shoots through my leg, I realize I’m in my room at my parent’s house. I sit up, fully dressed from the day before. I must have been exhausted since I didn’t bother to change clothes or eat dinner. I stretch and take my phone out of my purse. Turning it on, it buzzes with the many alerts I missed from the day before. I missed eight calls from Enzo, two from Cassie, and one from Checca. There must be twenty text messages from Enzo, all saying he loves me or asking me to call or pick up the phone. I see the voicemail indicator and know that it’s Enzo. It’s going to break my heart to hear his voice, but I can’t stop myself.

“Ciao, amore.” The message starts slowly, Enzo’s words labored and measured. “Words cannot describe the empty void your absence has left in my life. I know why you had to leave but I don’t know if I will survive this loss. If you don’t come back to me…”

I stop listening, unable to bear the pain in his voice. I’m breaking my husband’s heart. The best thing I can do from now on is to avoid this. I won’t be able to think clearly if I hear his voice. As difficult as it is, this is just the way it has to be. I make the decision to turn off my phone and cry into my pillow.

Hearing a knock on my door, I look up to see my mother enter. “Ava, dear. Your husband called a few times. He wants to talk to you.”

“I know, mom. I can’t. I just need some space. Can you please tell him I’m okay and I need him not to call until I’m ready?”

She nods and sits on the edge of my bed. “I’m not sure I can understand how you feel, but I bet it’s a mixture of hurt feelings and betrayal. You said so yourself that Enzo would never cheat on you or hurt you on purpose. Why did you run, Ava?”

“Mom, I don’t want to talk about it, okay. I have my reasons and I’m just not ready to talk about it.”

“Okay but let me say this to you. True love is hard to come by. The kind of love that Enzo has for you is damn near impossible to find. No one will ever love you again like he does.”

“Why are you defending him? I’m your daughter!”

“I know that. I also know you very well and I can tell your heart is breaking. You ran because you didn’t know what else to do. I’m not defending him. I’m just reminding you that what the two of you have is special. In case you forgot. God brought you two together for a reason. You’re meant to be together.”

I look at my mom and want to argue but I have nothing to say. She’s right. I’m heartbroken and I don’t know what to do about it.

MY MOM KNOCKS on my door, waking me from my stress-induced nap. I look up at her groggy as she lays down some mail on the credenza and a sandwich.

“You need to eat, Ava.”

“Okay, mom. I’ll try. What is that mail?”

“I don’t know. Something with your name on it came today.”

“Okay, thanks.” I stand and stretch before taking the letter. It’s addressed to me with no return address, but I do notice that the postmark is from Phoenix. I brace myself assuming it’s a letter from Enzo. Only he and Cassie know this address.

Tearing open the envelope, my heart practically stops as I see what it is. Tears fill my eyes and then another emotion hits me- fear. Anna knows where I am. At this moment, I’m more afraid than hurt by what I see. I take the items outside and walk straight up to Danny’s car. He unrolls the window looking slightly surprised to see me.

“Hi, Danny. Anna knows I’m here. She sent me this.” I hand him the offending objects.

Staring at it for a moment he looks up at me. “What is this?”

“It’s an ultrasound, Danny.” My voice trembles as I do everything I can to hold back my emotion. “Her note says, ‘Do you think Enzo wants a boy or a girl?’ You need to tell Enzo that this happened. It’s postmarked from Arizona, but for all we know she could be here or on her way.”