‘I never did any of that,’ Luca replied evenly. ‘It was you who leftme.’
‘But I didn’t do anything! You dumped me. You broke my heart.’
‘You broke mine,’ Luca replied with feeling. ‘I would never have hurt you, Colette. I loved you. I wanted to be with you. I was going to tell you that, and ask you to maybe come back to Italy sometime, or if perhaps I could go to you in England – find some way for us perhaps to have a future together. That night, I had arranged a party in the restaurant with Mama Elene – she was going to help me show you what your life in Italy could be. But you never showed.’
Colette was mystified. ‘What? But this is impossible … I don’t understand it. You say you never left a note about meeting in L’Incanto but I know I got one. So who did?’
Luca looked at her, his jaw working. ‘Annie.’
‘What?’
‘Annie. When I came to the villa the day before, you were out with Kim but Annie was there.’
Colette thought back. ‘You left the note with Annie?’
‘Yes, I asked her to give it to you. Maybe she was a little distracted; there was someone else there at the time.’
‘Someone else? With Annie at the villa?’
Maybe it was him, the guy Annie had been seeing? Charlie’s father. Maybe that’s why she’d never mentioned the visit?
Luca looked uncomfortable at first, but then something – a realisation – crossed his face, and his mouth set in a firm line.
‘I need to talk to Annie,’ Colette stated as she turned and rushed inside. She needed answers. She needed the truth.
Luca’s revelation had floored her. Something had gone wrong that last night, and she was going to find out what.
She hurried across the courtyard and back inside the villa, Luca bringing up the rear, and opened the door to the old living room.
To find Annie locked in an embrace with Ed.
Chapter 56
Now
Kim looked around at the happy, smiling faces of her guests enjoying the party in full swing, and allowed herself a secret smile, thrilled and relieved that everything seemed to be going off without a hitch.
At last …
Though thanks to Gabriel’s surprising suggestion, she was still half-expecting Gloria to appear at any moment, and make some kind of scene in order to throw one final spanner in the works.
The idea that her own mother might set out to ruin such a big occasion in her life made her unnaturally despondent, and she resolved firmly once again to change her ways from now on, and be the best mother to Lily she could possibly be.
She was so lucky (and grateful) that Gabriel had picked up the slack for so long, but she wouldn’t allow him to do so any longer, and was now determined to make it up to both of them. Especially given his surprising assumption about an affair.
To think that he would evenconsiderKim would cheat on him, let alone with someone like Antonio! No, the one thing she could be sure of was that she and Gabe had each other’s hearts, and had always been true to one another.
She just wished Emilia felt the same way about Antonio.
And thinking of Emilia …
Just then, Kim spotted the couple come through the courtyard entrance, and seeing Gabriel networking with some corporate guests, headed over to his rescue so that they could greet the couple together.
Emilia looked stunning, as always, in vintage Yves St Laurent, her hair fastened in her trademark French twist.
‘Oh, it’s so wonderful to see you,’ Kim said, hugging the older woman enthusiastically, hoping to allay any potential awkwardness, while Antonio and Gabriel chatted. ‘It’s been far too long and, really, all my fault for not visiting, I’m sorry.’
Emilia smiled uneasily, and glanced sidelong at Gabriel.
