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Chapter Forty-Two
As Geli listened to the message her mouth fell open. Even though I was part of the conversation, I still couldn’t believe it either.
The message ended.
‘Mio Dio!’she shouted. ‘Merda! Porca puttana!Youhaveto play this to Lorenzo.’
‘Ican’t.’ I winced. ‘It will break his heart.’
‘Well, this woman is happy to break up your relationship. You must not let her get away with it.’
‘I know it’s annoying, and as much as I believe Marta deserves to get her comeuppance, I have to take the higher ground. I want Lorenzo to choose me and Leo because he wants to. Not because I’ve proved that his mother is an evil cow.’
‘I understand, but if I were you, I would go straight to the restaurant now and play it.No. I would want Marta to suffer. I would make her go to the restaurant, call Lorenzo out, then play the recording on speaker in front of the customers, so everyone can hear how disgusting she is. And so she see Lorenzo’s disappointed face when he realises his mother is a witch.’
‘But that would crush him.’
‘It would upset her more. Perhaps doing it in front of customers is too good for her. I would organise a party for the whole town and play it in front of them all.’
‘That would just be evil,’ I shook my head.
‘Sì.Perhaps I go too far. But she is a bad woman.’
‘She’s lonely and sad. Lorenzo is all she has.’
What’s wrong with you?screamed Reasanna.Why are you sticking up for her all of a sudden?
I know it sounds crazy, Reasanna. I’m just as surprised as you are.
‘Look, what Marta did was unforgiveable, but like I said, I need Lorenzo to come to his own decision about our future. So promise me that you will not play that recording to him. Under any circumstances.’
Geli rolled her eyes and sighed.
‘Promiseme,’ I said.
‘Okay,bene. I will not play Lorenzo the recording.’
‘Thank you.’
I hoped to God that Geli would keep her word…
It felt strange being back in London. Never did I think I’d be here again so soon. I couldn’t have predicted all of the things that had happened over the last few days either.
Life was funny. One minute everything seemed to be going well. After a long dry spell, you finally get your sexual mojo back, you have a relationship with a person you believed was the man of your dreams, are building a family with the beautiful baby you thought you’d never be able to have, and then someone like Marta comes along and steamrollers all over it. Just like that your happiness is sucked away. Gone. Kaput.
What with everything going on in my life with Lorenzo and worrying about Holly (even though she’d texted this morning to say she was holding up okay), the last few days had been a roller coaster of emotions.
Yesterday included. I’d completed the deal to sell the business. The contract was signed and the money was in my account. I should have been elated. I had my freedom and enough cash to live on for a little while without stressing about rushing out to work and paying bills. After all the ups and downs these past months with the clients, Robyn and the staff and the lack of personal life I’d had for years, this should have been a triumph. An achievement of epic proportions.
I should have been popping bottles of champagne, dancing in the streets, and have a giant smile plastered all over my face. But I didn’t. I just felt empty. Deflated. Numb.
When I’d got the news, I breathed a sigh of relief, thanked my lawyer for letting me know, put the phone down, picked Leo out of his high chair, gave him a big hug and a kiss, put him back, then carried on loading the dishwasher. It was like it was just another ordinary day.
Pretty sad, really. But with everything that had gone on in Italy before I’d left, how could I feel like celebrating? How could I feel happy when my relationship was still hanging in the balance?
If Lorenzo was here, he would have made a big fuss. Made one of those homemade banners he loved creating for special occasions. Put up balloons, showered me with a thousand kisses, cooked my favourite meal or insisted he took me out to celebrate.
He would’ve congratulated me. Told me how proud he was and taken me in his arms, my favourite place in the world, for one of his amazing hugs.
