Chapter 4

The journalist has regained possession of my body and coldly delivers her questions, without worrying about the harm they may cause. I salivate like a lion in front of a gazelle, hoping for a juicy response of pain and trashy events. Gabriel, surprised by my coldness, raises his eyebrows in circumflex accents, passes his hand on his chin, coughs slightly to clear his throat and gives me the bone I've been waiting for. - You are the first person with whom I will talk about it, apart of course, my relatives. I don't know what drives me to trust you when the game is clear, you are going to spread my private life on your magazine and thus boost your career. He swallows a sip of wine, carelessly passes his napkin over his lips and continues. - My wife, well ... my ex-wife, had put her professional life as a model on hold, so she could follow me on all my tours. And, do you know what a life on the road means? I slowly shake my head from side to side, keeping my mouth sealed. I am focused and honored that Mr. Lewis confides in me with confidence. “Well, Miss Bianco, that means loneliness. Yes, you are surrounded by thousands of people and yet you feel alone… Linda experienced this estrangement very badly and gradually withdrew into herself. The only person she saw regularly and with whom she had constant telephone contact was Millie, my best friend. So, Linda's discomfort and my overwork, over time, have worn down our relationship. In fact, we didn't talk much anymore, our physical contact became less frequent and what had to happen happened, she got tired of me... But, I could have accepted that, if... He suddenly turned pale and despite his speed for wipe away the tear that slipped under his dark glasses, I had time to see him. This moment of weakness in this seemingly unshakeable body touches me... — Kisses, my Puce! Flashback: Paola 3 years old. - That's enough Carla! I don't want to hear you talk about Paola like that anymore. Damn, she's your daughter and she had nothing to do with it! Tino stands in the kitchen of the magnificent home he bought in Rennes three years ago to provide a comforting home for his family. His arms lie along his body and he does not know what to do or say, to make sense to his wife, who month by month, is moving further and further away from her daughter. Carla Bianco can no longer bear the presence of Paola and consoles herself by transferring all her affection to little Sarah, then one year old. "Please Tino, don't remind me that this child once lived in my womb. It's too painful, I can't. Carla hugs her the tea towel she uses to dry the dishes for dinner. Her gaze, filled with tears, implores her husband not to revive this far too dark past. But, despite his compassion for her, he can no longer bear to hear her make disparaging remarks about their eldest daughter. He is convinced that his wife must consult a psychoanalyst, in order to face the demons that devour her soul. However, she categorically refuses to talk about what she experienced during this famous student night. - But my darling, you're hurting her too. Can't you see that you are destroying yourself by throwing a veil over your past and that at the same time you are destroying our child? Tino, saddened to see his wife so devastated, raises his voice and tenderly embraces Carla. She holds her head in his neck, welds her body to his and lets herself be sucked into her husband's protective cocoon. She lays down her pain on... When I think about it today… Now that I have seen the true face of my bug sister, I am disgusted. My head buried in my pillow, I relive Flavio's announcement in front of the town hall and very quickly, I bury it all in the depths of my memory. No, I don't want to think about this man, pushing him deep inside me until I forget his existence is, in my opinion, the most beautiful revenge. I will also bury his vile life partner with him and leave them both to rot in oblivion. - My dear ? Don't tell me you're still in bed at this hour? Théo… I knew he would come see me, as he always did on each of my birthdays. Small, we were neighbors, therefore autonomous to meet us when it seemed good to us. He suddenly enters my lair without asking my permission, takes off his clothes, not his underwear anyway and slips under my sheets. - Happy birthday my marmot to me. He wraps his arms around me and I lift my spirits as I intoxicate myself with the spicy smell his neck gives off. - Thanks, you ! You always know how to warm my heart. - Yes, I am the ideal man, what do you want! He chuckles as he tastes the salt on my skin. My discomfort is so intense that at this precise moment, I have desires that are beyond me. I want Theo to console me more, even more deeply, but it's insane. Only, barely regained my reason, he heckles, biting my shoulders. My reaction is probably not what he expected. No, I don't burst out laughing, much to my regret, I lose control and my traitorous vocal cords emit a delicious moan. To crown the... - Theo! "Yes, honey," he said, kissing my forehead. "I love your birthday present. Our laughter ricochets off the walls where a few minutes before, our enjoyments resounded. “And I love showering you with gifts. We could have spent the whole Sunday enjoying this wonderful day, in each other's arms, if my doorbell had not rung. "Will you go open it and say I just disappeared on another planet?" - With joy. He just puts on his jeans and walks shirtless to the front door. His return a few minutes later chills my blood. He is livid and the anger can be read in his eyes. He nervously picks up the rest of his clothes, then coldly spits at me that he is expected by a pretty blonde and that I should not count on his presence this evening at my father's. I don't understand what just happened, but all I know is that in one and the same day, my best friend just made me experience diametrically opposite feelings. An idyllic happiness has just given way to a dagger planted in my chest. What is happening ? Who could he have been talking to, to get into such a rage? Only one way to get to the bottom of it, get up. I put on a bathrobe for fear that someone is quietly waiting for me on the doorstep and leaves my room. Strange, my apartment seems completely empty. Only, on closer inspection, a gorgeous bouquet of red roses is waiting on my kitchen table. I therefore deduce that the intruder must most certainly have been a delivery man. Until then, nothing that could upset my friend so much....