The Donna He Took for Granted Chapter 04
My phone rang at eleven that night.
Corrado was calling.
I was talking with my parents in their living room and did not notice.
An hour passed before his name appeared on my screen again.
I let the screen go dark, switched the phone off, and went to sleep.
When I woke near noon and restarted it, I found more than a dozen missed calls.
On instinct, I opened my messages.
The normally distant Corrado had broken his usual silence with a rapid string of messages.
Corrado:[What are the key and note supposed to mean?]
Corrado:[I forgot one birthday. Is ignoring my calls and playing games really necessary?]
Corrado:[Ottavia, you have one hour to come home. If you don’t, never come back.]
The last message had been sent three hours earlier.
I released a breath I seemed to have held for years as I deleted Corrado from my contacts.
Someone knocked on my bedroom door.
After I answered, my mother entered with a glass of warm milk.
“Tavia, your stomach has always been sensitive. Drink this while it’s warm.”
I had arrived at my parents’ Brooklyn Heights home with a suitcase the night before.
They asked no painful questions and welcomed me with the same quiet care they had always given me.
I hugged my mother’s arm and swallowed the ache in my throat.
“Mom, I found an apartment. It’s small, but it would be mine.”
She smiled. “Then buy it.
“How much are you short? I’ll cover the rest.”
I told her I had enough money.
She wired me two hundred thousand dollars anyway.
She said a woman needed a home and savings of her own if she wanted real security.
I immediately arranged to sign the purchase agreement the following Monday.
That evening, Dad cooked all my favorite food and brought home a buttercream cake to make up for my missed birthday.
I faced the glowing candles.
Closing my eyes, I made one sincere wish.
I wished for my parents’ health and better days ahead.
Moments after I blew out the candles, an unexpected message arrived.
Then messages began falling across my screen from one old friend after another, all saying the same thing.
Friend:[Tavia, congratulations on finally making it down the aisle; I wouldn’t miss the wedding, and I’m bringing an enormous gift.]
Friend:[Ottavia, congratulations to you and Corrado. Wishing you a lifetime of happiness together.]
…
As I tried to understand the sudden flood of congratulations,
the app notified me that Corrado had sent a contact request.
Corrado:[I announced our upcoming marriage.]
Corrado:[You got what you wanted. It’s time to stop this tantrum.]
The word tantrum pulled a sharp, disbelieving laugh from me.
Which one of us was behaving irrationally?
My mother had once asked me to share her contact information with Corrado.
He had ignored the request and never added her.
His complete lack of interest had finally done me a favor.
If this farce reached Mom, it would keep her awake all night.
Once I calmed down, I told everyone who had congratulated me that Corrado and I had ended our relationship.
Then I posted a public update on an account I had not used in months.
Ottavia:[Ignore the rumors. I’m single and not dating anyone.]
Corrado called less than two minutes later.
I did not answer.
He kept calling.
I blocked his number.
At last, silence returned to my world.
I stretched out on the soft sheets, put on my headphones, and closed my eyes.
Monday arrived before I knew it.
After eating the brunch Mom had prepared, I reached the real estate attorney’s office exactly on time.
The seller’s phone rang just as we were about to sign.
Within seconds, his expression shifted from confusion to astonishment, and he reluctantly handed over the phone.
“Ms. Ricci, this person is asking for you.”
I knew Corrado had influence and connections.
But I never imagined that a man who prided himself on cold reason would use those connections just to force me onto a call.
I found a private corner and snapped,
“Corrado, will you leave me alone?”
He had not expected such open impatience.
After a pause, he asked in a low voice,
“Why are you telling people you’re single?”
“Because I am.”
Corrado laughed bitterly.
“You left a key and a worthless note, and that makes you single?
“Ottavia, you’re almost thirty. Could you act like an adult for once?
“We’re engaged, and soon we’ll marry and have children, exactly as you wanted.
“How do you expect our old friends to attend the wedding after this ridiculous stunt?”
I pressed my fingers to my forehead to keep from laughing.
“There won’t be a wedding.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
Corrado scoffed.
“Are you honestly trying to break up with me?”
I lowered my gaze and answered without hesitation.
“Yes. We’re done.”
He fell silent.
From the muffled boarding announcement behind his voice, I knew he was at the airport about to board a flight.
