Chapter 36
Chapter Thirty-Six
Five years later
C ynthia looked across Lake Como. Behind the hills, the fiery sun was slowly descending.
She would never tire of looking at the rippling waters with a dazzling orange hue. The air was filled with a serene stillness that was only broken by the distant hum of a boat engine. It mirrored how she felt in her heart.
Five years had passed since her father’s death and five years since she left Copper Island.
She felt like a new woman. The sweet aroma of wildflowers, mingled with the scent of the lake, created a heady fragrance that filled the senses. It was a different kind of scent from her gardens and conservatory. It was a different air than the Atlantic Ocean.
A better kind. Different enough that there were no reminders of the old life she had left behind. As the night approached, the lake seemed to hold its breath as if savouring the last moments of this stunning sunset. She didn’t have that kind of view of Copper Island or a sense of calm.
Cynthia stood at the metal railing of their palatial villa, her bare feet cooling on the marble floor. Her high-heeled sandals were to her left, ready to put on when it was time to leave for a late dinner with their friends.
She could hear Jonathan coming down the staircase. Turning, she watched as he ran down the steps to greet her. He didn’t delay and kissed her. Deeply. Wrapping her arms around her back in the long purple silk dress they’d chosen that afternoon as they strolled around the town. Their passion had not dwindled with time. It was like they were still making up for lost time.
“I won’t be long,” he whispered over her lips. “Benny needs a lift to the other side of the lake. I’ll be right back to pick you up. Be ready.”
“I am ready, honey,” she replied and pressed her lips to his again. They stayed like that until Benny rounded the side of the villa and scoffed.
“Honestly, don’t you two ever stop?”
Cynthia and Jonathan chuckled as they pulled apart. Jonathan pressed his lips in a quick kiss and then twirled the boat keys on his index finger.
“Trying to show you that love can last a lifetime, Son,” Jonathan said. “Perhaps this lady you’re seeing will be the one to tie you down?”
“Maybe,” he replied, grinning at Cynthia.
She knew better. Benny had no intention of marrying until he was forty. Then the women of Milan had better watch out. When Benny set his mind to something, he got exactly what he wanted.
“Have fun. We’ll see you for lunch tomorrow?” she asked.
“Highly likely, but no promises,” he replied, leaning in to kiss her cheek. “I hope you guys have a great time at the restaurant. I hear great things about the new chef.”
“I’ll tell you all about it tomorrow when you come for lunch,” she replied, giving his hand a squeeze.
Benny rolled his eyes and gave her a wink. Then father and son were trotting down the stone staircase that led to the narrow dock where their motorboat was tied up. They both hopped in, and Jonathan started the engine, then carefully backed the boat away and drove it slowly in a circle to head in the right direction. They gave her a wave from the boat with big smiles, and she did the same back, her arm high in the air waving back.
“Benny looks happy,” Jennifer said at her side.
“He does. We’re all happy. It’s a good time to be alive.”
“Yes, it is,” Jennifer said and handed Cynthia a martini glass filled to the brim. “Your eyes are shining. What’s so special about this evening?”
“It’s the anniversary of the day we met.”
“Wow, I can’t believe fifty years has gone by.”
“Age is a cruel trick of nature. It’s true what they say. Youth is wasted on the young.”
Jennifer laughed and dropped her chin to her chest. Cynthia looked at her profile. “We have had a hellish time some of those years, but it ended okay, didn’t it?”
Still with her chin dropped, Jennifer turned to head to her best friend. “Yeah.”
The tranquillity was abruptly shattered as she watched their boat casually speed down the lake. Cynthia caught a glimpse of the boat in her peripheral vision and watched in horror as it rapidly expanded in size. Her euphoria turned to terror as she saw a flicker of flame on the bow of the boat. In a split second, the speedboat erupted into a massive fireball that illuminated the entire area. Cynthia was paralysed with shock, the acrid smell of gasoline and smoke filling her nostrils. She could not comprehend the horror that unfolded before her eyes. In unison, Cynthia and Jennifer dropped their martini glasses, letting them shatter on the stone path below the veranda.
The explosion reverberated across the lake, its deafening roar echoing through the hills. Everything fell eerily silent for a moment, and then Cynthia’s senses were assaulted by the sounds of her own screams and the pounding of her feet on the ground as she ran frantically down the narrow steps in her bare feet and onto the small dock.
Her knees gave way, and she collapsed in a heap, her sobs echoing along the shore. She had spent decades with her beloved Jonathan and Benny, but in just a few heart-wrenching seconds, they had been cruelly snatched away from her forever. She trembled, cursing and sobbing. She could feel the rough planks of wood beneath her fingers. Everything else faded away as the enormity of her loss slowly sank in. Soon, a crowd of people from the neighbouring villas rushed to the beach, their footsteps crunching loudly on the sand.
Jennifer tried to console her, but Cynthia was inconsolable, her cries of anguish ringing out across the lake. The sight of their speedboat being destroyed before her very eyes were seared into her memory. A haunting image that would stay with her for the rest of her life.
As she knelled there, Cynthia’s heart sank with the weight of her loss. The air around her felt heavy and suffocating as if it was mourning with her. The silence was deafening, broken only by her laboured breaths and the distant hum of people trying to help.
The bitter taste of regret lingered in her mouth, a constant reminder of what she could have done differently. The world seemed to blur and fade as she looked around, leaving her feeling lost and helpless, with nothing but her thoughts and memories to keep her company.