45. 45
Olivia and Tom were voted out of the villa that night.
It was just as horrible to say goodbye as I expected.
Olivia had been in here from the beginning with me, and while we had never grown as close as I had with Chiara and Ella, I still adored her all the same.
There wasn’t a dry eye in the house by the time they wheeled their suitcases out the front door and down the driveway.
As we stood in the villa’s entryway watching them go, a producer’s voice came over the speakers in the ceiling.
"All Bellas please head back to the fire pit."
I let out a soft groan. It had been a wonderful day, followed by a sad evening. My emotions were all over the place; I couldn't handle another twist.
It was a somber march back out to the garden and to the fire pit, no one feeling up for the usual group banter that made the villa feel alive.
We had just sat down when, from around the corner, in walked Gemma Row. She was wearing a mini dress made of tiny blue crystals sewn onto a fisherman's net, like some sort of tropical mermaid Barbie.
My stomach dropped. If Gemma were here, it couldn’t be good. Bad things usually followed her entrance into the villa.
Bracing myself for the worst, I focused my attention on just trying to breathe.
“Hello, Bellas!” Gemma called out. She was awfully chipper.
We all nodded back at her, no one feeling great enough to echo her excitement.
“I know I’m usually here to deliver bad news,” she said, looking around at each of us, drawing out her dramatic pause.
“But . . . ” She smirked.
But?
“There will be no more bad news. Not tonight, and not any time from this point on.”
Huh?
“Congratulations, you’ve all made it to the Bella Amore Final!” she exclaimed.
It was quiet for a beat, her words taking a moment to land. I blinked and leaned forward, playing what she said over in my mind, making sure I heard her correctly.
And then it was chaos. Screaming and jumping and hugging. It was like we were a team and had just won the Super Bowl.
No one else would be going home. We were through to the finals. We made it.
Callum and I made it.
I turned to him, threw my arms around his neck and kissed him deeply, giggling against his mouth.
Even as we were pulled apart by the other Bellas, as we all ran to jump into the pool together in celebration, I knew that no matter what happened next, we had each other.
It felt like we already won it all.
***
I spent the next few days soaking up all that was great about the villa. I wasn’t even mad about the early wake-up time.
A feeling of cheer was rife throughout, everyone thrilled to have made it to the end. We swam, played silly pool games, napped in the sun. We had even started making breakfast and lunches together. No one wanted to be apart, no one wanted time to sit alone.
Two days after the final dumping, we woke up to a large gold envelope sitting in the kitchen.
The last time I had seen an envelope like that, it was telling us to vote for our least favorite match.
I knew we were all safe, knew no one would go home, but I still watched with trepidation as Molly opened it.
“Oh my god!” she squealed, tears forming in her eyes.
“What’s it say?” Liam asked from next to me.
Molly held up the letter inside and began reading out loud. “Bellas: today is your final day in the villa. To celebrate having come this far, you will each have a special visit with your families.”
Shouts went up, everyone thrilled at the prospect of seeing their families for the first time in weeks.
My heart sank at the thought of my own parents. I highly doubted they would they have been able to get time off work to come all the way to Italy.
I felt a hand slide around my waist from behind. I smiled, already knowing who it was. Callum pulled me toward him, pressing my back to his front.
He leaned down to whisper in my ear. “You alright?”
I nodded. I knew my parents wouldn’t be able to come, and I understood it logically. Still, I couldn’t help but feel emotional about it. I really missed them.
“If it makes you feel any better,” Callum continued, “I doubt anyone from my family will show up.”
I turned around to face him, looking up at his kind face. My heart hurt for him knowing that because of his rocky family situation, he would likely be alone today.
“What about your sisters?”
“I told them before I came here they didn’t need to be involved in any part of this. I didn’t want to complicate their own relationships with my father. I don’t . . . I don’t think they’ll go against him and come.”
“At least we have each other,” I said, wrapping my arms around him and holding tight.
He squeezed me back.
“We do,” he said.
***
The last day in the villa ended up being one of the busiest.
One by one, each Bella was called out to visit with their families inside. I wanted to meet them all, to see where everyone came from, but was told that would have to wait until after the finale.
I watched as they all came back, red-eyed from their reunions. It made me happy, it really did, to see everyone so full of joy at seeing their families.
I was lying by the edge of the pool, soaking up the final rays of the day, when my name was called out over the speaker.
“Poppy, to the villa, please.”
I sat up with a jolt.
Could my parents have actually made the trip all the way out here? Or maybe it was Blair and Hunter. I had put them as my emergency contacts when I filled out my start paperwork all those weeks ago. They were practically family anyway. Oh, it would be so good to see a familiar face!
I bounded across the lawn and down the garden path, inside, and down the hallway to the villa’s living room.
Harry was standing almost at the end of the hall, facing me. He was frowning; the spot between his eyebrows furrowed as he kept glancing back over his shoulder. I wanted to tell him it was alright, that it was okay my parents couldn’t make it, and I would be more than happy to see Blair and Hunter.
As I approached, he reached his arm out, resting it on mine and slowing my momentum.
“Poppy, whatever happens next, just know that you’re a strong woman, and that I’ll be here for you when it’s all over.”
I didn’t understand what he meant. Why would he say that if it were—
I got to the end of the hallway and it all clicked into place. There, standing in the middle of the living room, perfectly backlit by the sun streaming in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, was not Blair or Hunter. Or my parents.
It was my ex.