Keira managed to pull her bedraggled body back up to standing as she deliberated over whom to call. She saw Cristiano’s name flash up on the screen. He was calling her, but she didn’t want to speak to him, she didn’t want to fall victim to any more of his lies.

It was then she saw a missed call from Maxine. She hit redial quickly.

When Maxine answered, Keira immediately heard the sound of a street party behind her. Of course, she would be out celebrating Halloween. She remembered their conversation in Bryn’s kitchen when they’d discussed Keira missing Halloween; everyone had been so jealous of her and the fact she’d be spending it in Italy. The memory made Keira feel even more glum. How different the reality had turned out to be.

“Keira!” Maxine cried with a drunken giggle. “I miss you!”

“I miss you too,” Keira replied, her heart aching to be reunited with someone who cared for her, someone who wouldn’t hurt her.

“How is Italy? Is it amazing? Are you having the best time?”

Maxine fired a barrage of excited questions at Keira. Her enthusiasm elicited a small smile from Keira.

“Italy is phenomenal,” Keira replied, truly meaning it. “It’s like a whole other world. I’m still expecting to wake up on Bryn’s couch and for this to all have been a dream.”

As she said it, she realized, bitterly, that she also wished she would.

“I’m so jealous of you,” Maxine cried, her voice slurring slightly.

“Well, don’t be,” Keira replied. “It sounds like you’re having plenty of fun where you are!” Just talking about normal things was starting to make her feel a little better, and she had stopped crying now at least.

“I’m at a street party,” Maxine said. “I’ve met a very sexy Frankenstein. In a couple of cocktails’ time, I’m going to kiss him.”

Keira laughed. As terrible as she felt for herself, she was happy to know Maxine was having a good time.

She wrung out her dress, trying to get some of the canal water out of it. It was still very wet and weighing her down. She wanted very much to speak to Maxine about her embarrassing experience and how foolish she’d been by falling for an Italian stallion, but now clearly wasn’t the time. Maxine’s advice skills weren’t going to be particularly sharp at the moment thanks to all the alcohol in her system. She realized that Bryn would be in much the same state.

“Is Shelby at the party with you?” Keira asked, hoping that at least one of her confidantes would be available and sober.

“What?” Maxine replied, shouting over the thumping bass music in the background.

Keira raised her voice. “Shelby? Is she there too?”

“Oh right. Yeah. She and David have come dressed as rum and Coke.”

Now it was Keira’s turn to not understand. “How?”

“He’s dressed as a pirate and she’s dressed as a bottle of cola.”

“That’s so cheesy,” Keira replied, rolling her eyes and laughing. But she secretly wished she had someone to wear a silly costume with this evening. Instead, she had a soggy masquerade mask in her purse and she’d left the person with the matching costume floating in a gondola.