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"Where do you live?"

Another pause. Shorter this time. "Wherever the work is."

I watch the road for a while.

"Can you please call Vittoria?" I ask.

Valentino's head turns. "Now?"

"No, next Tuesday. I'll pencil it in between the fleeing and the hiding." I hold my palm out. "Yes, now. Please."

He pulls his phone from his jacket and dials without arguing. The line rings twice before Vittoria answers.

"Val?"

"It's me."

"Babe." Relief and worry hit the same word.

My tongue feels thick. I swallow past it. "Did my mom call you?"

The line goes quiet.

"Call me about what?" Vittoria asks carefully.

"About me. About where I am. Did she call you to ask where her daughter is?"

Another pause. Longer this time. "No. She didn't call."

I laugh because what else is left for me to do? "Cool," I say. "That's—yeah. Cool."

"Babe—"

"No, it makes sense. I've been in Italy for almost two weeks, Vee. Two weeks. She texted me once. Once. To ask if I was okay, which, let's be honest, was probably autocomplete because she didn't even wait for me to respond before she went dark again. So why would she notice I'm gone? You have to notice someone's there before you can notice they're not.”

My voice is steady. My eyes are burning. I refuse to cry again.

"It's only been a couple of days since you lost your phone," Vittoria says gently. "She might not⁠—"

"She's not going to call, Vee."

The car goes quiet.

Vittoria doesn't argue. She knows. She was there for the missed lunches, the forgotten calls, the birthdays my mother remembered late and from a distance.

"This isn't helping you right now," Vittoria says quietly. "You know that, right? This wound, tonight⁠—"

"You're right." I bite down on everything else. The ache in my chest, the part of me that wanted Vittoria to lie, to say yes, she called, she's worried sick, she's on the next flight. "You're totally right. Bad timing. I'll table it."

"Amanda."

"I'm going to sleep now," I say. "I'm fine."

"Okay." Vittoria's voice goes careful. "I love you."

"Love you too. Goodnight."

I hand the phone back to Valentino without looking at him.