Chapter 37
B RAD RESCUES NEW LOVE L UCIA FROM NEAR-DEATH !
B RAD R EDFORD IN REAL-LIFE MOVIE RESCUE !
L A L EONESSA ’ S LIFE SAVED BY B RAD R EDFORD !
Lucia was in her private hospital room, located in a converted palazzo with a magnificent view over the Grand Canal. She was sitting up in bed, and a kind nurse had brought her a selection of newspapers and magazines to browse while she convalesced. They were spread out across the white sheets, and Lucia had devoured them, hungry for news of the outside world. But she’d become tired quickly and couldn’t read for too long. Her brush with mortality had left her surprisingly shaken. With more time on her hands than she’d had in many years, lying alone in her hospital bed, she had been reflecting on all aspects of her life. The gossip magazines were a welcome distraction.
She was unsurprised to find that the helicopter crash dominated the headlines, with endless pages given over to inaccurate speculation presented as fact. The true story was shocking enough, but the press had added two and two together and come up with five hundred. Lucia had been shocked to learn that Brad Redford and Lexi Parker had announced their intention to divorce. She’d been even more astonished to discover that the press were painting her as the reason for the split. Since she’d been pictured with ‘Brad’ during her dinner with Marco, the journalists had assumed they were having some wild affair, claiming that Brad had left Lexi for Lucia. Not only that, but he’d apparently saved La Leonessa’s life in the most dramatic fashion.
Lucia smiled wryly. Ordinarily, she’d have been delighted with blanket coverage like this, basking in the attention as the world’s media put her front and centre of every article. To her surprise, though, she found she really didn’t care. Bianca, her agent, had been calling daily with offers of huge deals in exchange for her side of the story, but so far Lucia had turned them all down. Perhaps, when she was feeling stronger, she’d change her mind.
There was a knock on the door and a nurse entered.
‘I have a visitor for you,’ she smiled, before standing aside.
Lucia looked up curiously. She couldn’t see who it was at first, due to the enormous bouquet of red roses he was carrying which completely covered his face and chest. Then he set them down on the first surface he saw and rushed over to Lucia.
‘Davide,’ she gasped. He looked the epitome of Italian cool in his chinos and black polo neck. The dark hair greying at the temples gave him an air of maturity, and he was sporting a deep tan from his recent holiday. She couldn’t believe he was here, and wondered if the medication was making her hallucinate.
‘I came as soon as I heard,’ he said, clasping her hands and smothering her with kisses as the nurse discreetly shut the door.
‘I thought you were in Mustique.’
‘I flew back on the first flight I could get. I was so worried. What happened?’
‘I don’t know exactly. There was an accident, and the helicopter crashed into the lagoon. I can’t swim, and I blacked out, but I was rescued—’
‘By Brad Redford,’ Davide said darkly.
Lucia laughed softly. ‘That’s not quite the full story. I believe it was … one of the hotel staff,’ she said carefully, ‘who came to my rescue first. We were surrounded by boats – one of them just happened to be driven by Brad Redford. Who is not my lover,’ she added, ‘despite what the press are saying.’
‘Was it that man again?’ Davide pressed. ‘The same one you were dining with last week?’
‘Are you jealous, amore mio ?’ Lucia asked. But her tone was calm, and she wasn’t playing a game. She sounded merely curious. ‘Is that why you rushed here to see me? Are you planning to give up everything for me? Or did you merely enjoy the grand gesture?’
Her questions stopped Davide in his tracks, and Lucia could see that he was wondering at her behaviour. She was acting completely differently to how she would have done before the accident, but a lot had changed for her. Everything had changed, in fact.
‘Lucia,’ he said softly. ‘I love you. That’s why I came racing here to see you, but I … I can’t leave my family for you. My wife, my children … I’m sorry.’ He lifted her hands to his lips and kissed the back of them. ‘I always told you that, and nothing has changed. You are incredible, you know that. You’re so special. My little firecracker,’ he smiled sadly. ‘But I have a duty and …’
‘I understand,’ Lucia said quietly. ‘Then this is goodbye.’
Davide looked horrified. ‘What do you mean?’
‘Exactly what I said. I can’t be your mistress any more. I deserve better.’
‘If this is an ultimatum …’
‘No, Davide, not this time. Go, be with your family. But please, don’t contact me again.’
‘Lucia, you can’t mean it. I’ve never met anyone like you. We adore one another. And our passion … I can’t live without it!’
Lucia smiled wryly. ‘I’m sure you can, Davide. We’ve had a lot of fun over the years. But now it’s over. Please don’t be sad or angry. Let’s be dignified about this.’
Davide looked at her, his gaze sweeping over her. ‘You’re … different somehow. I don’t know how to explain it.’
‘It’s true,’ Lucia agreed. ‘You can’t go through an experience like I have – to look God in the face and tell him it’s not your time – and not be changed by it. Life is fragile, and precious, and not to be wasted. I can’t spend it frivolously any more, chasing after a married man. I need someone who is worthy of me. Who loves me for me. It’s possible I may not have my reputation for much longer anyway.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘The doctors have told me. I was unconscious for some time … I swallowed a lot of water. There was fluid on my lungs. I may have lost my gift. I may never be able to sing again. And even if my vocal cords are miraculously undamaged, it’s unlikely my lung capacity will be what it was. I may need to think about a change of career.’
‘Oh, Lucia,’ Davide said tenderly, reaching out for her. Lucia let herself be held, finding comfort in Davide’s arms for one final time, as a lone tear rolled slowly down one cheek. She didn’t know what the future held, but she was determined to embrace it. She would no longer be the same person going forwards, but perhaps that was for the best. Perhaps the old Lucia hadn’t been very nice or very likeable.
She intended to start afresh and wipe the slate clean. But first, she needed to speak to Gina Bellini.