Torn Apart, Together Again

"Sofia, have you really thought about this?" Lois eyed her best friend carefully. "Going back to Sicily just for the divorce is risky. What If Lorenzo comes after you."

"I have to do this, Lois. I can't move forward with Marco or anyone else while I'm still legally tied to Lorenzo." Sofia lifted her slender shoulders into an elegant shrug. "He made his choice two years ago, and now it's time for me to make mine."

Lois sighed as touched her hand across the dining table they shared in their small apartment. "You're talking about the same man who has been pestering your father and every single person who knows you for the past two years just to know your whereabouts."

"Can't you just do this from here? You know he won't let you go that easily once he gets you."

"I know, but I have to do this in person. My father will be with me, and my lawyer is very strict and discreet. It'll be fine." Sofia tried to sound confident, as the sound of a taxi honking outside made her jump.

Sofia's long dark chestnut brown hair hung over her shoulder, and she reached behind her neck and twisted it into a knot behind her nape. "That's my ride. I'll call you once I get there. Wish me good luck."

"Well, the only luck you need is to make sure Lorenzo doesn't find you." Lois grimaced.

"No, what I need is to find out Lorenzo has had a partial loss of memory and no longer remembers me, and now he is sweet, kind, and considerate and will grant me my divorce just so I can live my life in peace."

She walked up the stairs into the entryway and turned to hug Lois, squeezing her so tightly she worried her bones would crack. "Don't miss me too much, ok."

"I definitely won't." Lois grinned. "I'll be so occupied working the next night shifts. Just get me those sexy Italian boots."

"I definitely will." She blew a kiss as she hurriedly walked away. She climbed into the taxi and gave a final wave to her best friend.

"To the airport, please," Sofia instructed the driver as she got in.

"Going on a trip?" the driver asked, glancing at her in the rearview mirror.

"Italy," Sofia replied curtly, not desiring small talk.

"Ah, Italy. Beautiful city," the driver said, trying to make conversation with nosy and unwanted questions.

"You work there?"

Sofia faced him head on. "Yeah, I'm paying you to drive, not to interrogate, so how about focusing on the road instead."

Her rude remark silenced him, and she watched wickedly as the man's mouth made silly movements, opening, and closing in rapid succession.

She settled back into the seat, trying to adjust to the nervousness she felt in her stomach as she thought about returning to Sicily.

As she relaxed back staring blankly at the car window, she let her mind wander back to the past and how she'd gotten so far.

Her mother had been killed in a fire accident on her eighteenth birthday, and her only living relatives had been her Father. She'd been lost for a long time, trying to cope with the loss of her Mother, whom she had adored so much.

For months, she would go to school in the day and then sit in her bedroom crying every night, missing her horribly.

She'd felt sad being in a new, different foreign country. She did not know so much as speaking Italian and the language barrier was hard, but she needed to cope and start a new life with her father.

Meanwhile, She had met Lorenzo at a pastry shop where she mistakenly spilled her coffee on him while trying to rush out for a Job Interview.

He'd followed her out after their brief encounter, invited her for a few talks over dinner, and literally had the best connection as she became totally drawn to him.

And one month later, Lorenzo had married her in a quiet and private ceremony, not even the hardest working journalist on the planet had found out about it.

Barely six months into their marriage, Lorenzo had accepted a young model to be the face of his company and Lora never left his side, much to Sofia annoyance. Over the months, Sofia had become convinced they were sleeping together, mostly because Lora never ceased the opportunity to update her.

When she'd asked him, he'd told her she was overreacting, putting a total spin on Lora's words.

She knew Lorenzo was a controlling man who took no for an answer and liked everything his way. It had never bothered her, since initially, she had lived only to please him as his wife, but she had known intuitively he'd never let her leave him. Even though he was sleeping with someone else, he would expect her to remain in his house.

The News tabloid had been the final straw, publishing photos of Lorenzo and Lora at a function kissing frantically. Humiliated, Sofia had demanded he choose between her and Lora.

He'd laughed at her, telling her not to be ridiculous and that even if he slept with Lora every day, she would still let him in her bed every night.

By the time she woke up past midnight to look for him, she'd found out he had gone out to the bar to meet Lora after she called him. She returned to their bedroom, smashed their wedding photo on the wall angrily, left her wedding ring on the bed, picked up the few items which were hers and walked out of the house in the middle of the night.

She'd called her Dad and told him she was leaving, but she would not tell him where she was going because she knew Lorenzo would somehow force him to disclose her whereabouts.

Surprisingly enough, her father, who she had expected to argue with her over the matter, had agreed that he would support her decision and regretted giving the condescending mafia man his blessing in marriage to his only daughter. He definitely had seen in the tabloids the way the daughter was being treated.

Sofia sighed as she broke from her daydream, realizing they were pulling into the airport.

She took a long, deep breath, knowing this flight marked the beginning of a new and thrilling chapter in her life. It was time to officially start her journey as a single and independent woman, free from the overbearing shadow of Lorenzo Benanti, reclaiming her hard-won peace.

Her new life began with this flight, and it would end when she finally held the signed divorce decree in her hand.

As she stepped out of the taxi, a chill ran down her spine. She couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched. She glanced around, but all she saw were the usual airport crowds.

Shaking off her paranoia, she grabbed her small plastic box and headed towards the terminal.

"This better be good."