Kim thought again about her own mother. Even when she’d broken away and moved on with her own life, she’d still loved Gloria and wanted her love in return.
Gabriel’s latest suspicions aside, she cared about her mother and father despite the things they put her through, and even though they no longer had anything to do with her, if they came back this minute to say they wanted a fresh start, she would’ve given it to them.
Why did she think Lily would be any different?
Her daughter was still young. There was still a chance to fix the wrongs she’d made by being so absent in her child’s life while she focused on her business. She could fix the things her mother never bothered to. She could be the mother she’d always wanted for her own daughter.
‘OK,’ Kim said. ‘Thank you. I want to be the parent I need to be. And the woman you need me to be,’ she replied. ‘And I’m going to start from today.’
Gabriel smiled. ‘You are already the woman I need.’
‘No, I’m not. Not quite yet, but I can be. I will be. Just be patient with me.’
He leaned forward and kissed her. ‘Haven’t I already?’
She smiled. ‘I really don’t deserve you.’
‘That makes two of us,’ Gabriel replied as he kissed her again.
Kim was still reeling at the night’s conversation and particularly the accusations of an affair. With Antonio of all people. But at least, she thought, as Gabe took her hand and led her back inside to the bedroom, the mystery of her saboteur looked to have been resolved.
Emilia. She knew there was no malice or reason to the older woman’s actions. She had been her great friend and mentor for all these years after all.
But again, Kim realised sadly, of late, she had let her down, too. She hadn’t visited Emilia in months, afraid to confront the disintegration of the sharpest mind she had ever known.
And she was wrong to do that.
She would remedy it soon, though. She would talk to her at the launch, of course, but once tomorrow night was over, Kim was setting her priorities straight.
She, Gabriel, and Lily would extend their family vacation by spending a few days in Milan with Emilia and give her old friend the respect she deserved, and also well and truly appease any fears she might have about Antonio, who adored her.
That night, she and Gabriel made love with an intensity that had been missing for some time, and afterwards Kim’s mind was finally at ease with the sense that everything was going to be all right.
Chapter 54
Now
Music filled the evening air and hundreds of glamorous, well-dressed people milled around. Cameras flashed as guests in their finery posed with happy smiles at the grand launch of Villa Dolce Vita.
While there was no doubt that the villa had been well and truly transformed, Annie kind of missed the old crumbling wreck it once was. She used to complain all the time about the state of the house while she was here, but realised now that being so rough around the edges was one of the things she actually loved most about it. Its imperfections were the hallmarks of its history.
Now it was glossy, gorgeous, and glamorous, much like Kim herself. She looked amazing tonight, dressed in a show-stopping pink-sequined gown that Annie was pretty certain was Dolce & Gabbana, her blonde hair up in a classic chignon, and her proud husband by her side.
A picture of success and the ultimate hostess, she was flitting happily from one person to another, while Annie stood alone on the terrace, champagne glass in hand, staring out into the darkness as she leaned against the railings, wondering why she’d come here in the first place.
Charlie was back at the Excelsior with the babysitter Kim had also very kindly arranged. He was having a ball and had spent the day splashing about in the pool with Lily, so she guessed he’d be wiped tonight.
It was no Dolce but Annie’s emerald green dress hugged every inch of her body, and she knew she looked good, standing up just as well to any of the stylish Italian socialites and celebrities at this party.
She’d worked hard to regain her figure after Charlie was born and religiously maintained all aspects of personal grooming as her business grew. She went to the gym every day and ate the best she could whenever possible. Tonight, her make-up was impeccable, as, of course, was her hair. She looked amazing and she knew it. But she wasn’t entirely sure why she bothered.
It wasn’t like anyone was benefitting from it besides her.
‘Stop kidding yourself, you know exactly why,’ she murmured to herself, as she drained her drink and stared at the empty champagne flute with disgust.
Flagging a passing waiter, she dropped her empty glass on the tray he carried, and grabbed another.
Happy people, so many shiny, happy, self-congratulatory people. They were making her sick.
