Chapter 24
The tears came as soon as Beth had made it inside her beautiful flat: the one Marco had helped her secure.
Great heaving sobs escaped as she poured herself a glass of wine in her small, sweet kitchen, and changed into her pyjamas in her wonderful, beamed bedroom.
The waters of the canal splashed against the building as she pulled her pyjamas over her head and wrapped herself in her fluffy dressing gown.
As she grabbed a book from the shelf, eager to slide into its pages and forget the world she was currently in, Polo followed her everywhere she went, knowing something was desperately wrong.
How could they have gone from knowing they were so right for each other to this in a matter of hours?
The worst thing was, while she hated the way Marco had reacted, she knew that in some ways he was right.
She’d had opportunities to tell him the truth, and she hadn’t taken them.
He had every right to feel betrayed, and if the situation were reversed she’d feel the same way.
As she slumped on the sofa and pulled a blanket over her, there was only one thing to do: call her best friends.
Beth tried to get herself together as it rang but as soon as their happy faces popped up on the screen she dissolved into tears again.
‘Oh my God!’ Elsa screeched. ‘What’s happened?’
‘What’s going on?’ Daisy echoed. ‘Who do I need to punch?’
Considering Daisy was normally the gentle, calm one, Beth laughed. The pregnancy hormones were clearly kicking in already.
‘That’s better,’ Daisy added. ‘Take a deep breath. Now, what’s up, Bethy?’
‘It’s Marco.’
‘The guy who we said was into you, but you were sure wasn’t?’
She nodded.
Elsa’s angry face filled the screen. ‘Has he done something?’
Beth wiped her nose. ‘We were just … something was starting between us. He took me on a gondola ride, and we kissed, and I went to meet his family and then everything exploded.’
‘What do you mean?’
Polo curled into a ball next to her, leaning his body against her legs and she pushed her fingers into his soft grey fur.
She told them everything about Cesca and Emilio and how she’d been keeping their secret, how it had all come out at the family dinner.
‘And now Marco feels I’ve betrayed him and said I should leave. ’
‘Well that’s a bit bloody rude,’ Daisy said, her face lined through scowling. ‘Honestly, if I had his number I’d ring him and tell him to never speak to you again. Bloody cheek—’
‘Daisy—’ Elsa said, but was ignored,
‘It’s not your fault his sister put you in a difficult position and, to be honest, you were friends with her first—’
Elsa tried again. ‘Daisy—’
‘Of course your loyalty is going to be to her and not just some random man you’ve only just met.’
Even though they’d been flirting with the L word.
Elsa shoved a glass of water at Daisy who took it. ‘Calm down. You’ve gone all red.’
‘How can I calm down when he’s made our friend cry like that?’ She pointed to the screen.
Daisy was right, and whilst she understood Marco being annoyed and upset that she’d known, he hadn’t even let her explain. Anger began to grow inside her, drying her tears.
‘I can’t believe I’m normally the one getting worked up,’ Elsa said, ‘and this time it’s you.’
‘Sorry, it’s the hormones.’
‘But I do agree with everything Daisy’s said. It’s fair enough he’s upset but he should have given you the chance to explain. What happened when he asked you to leave his house? What were his family like?’
‘They were shocked, but so nice to me. His mum gave me a hug and told me she was on my side. But—’
‘But it doesn’t make you feel any better?’
She shook her head. Marco and Cesca had hinted at something else being responsible for his feelings, something she didn’t know about, and though she wondered what that could be, it didn’t stop the pain shooting through her chest. ‘I’ve never been heartbroken before,’ she sobbed.
‘No, you haven’t really, have you? Sucks, doesn’t it, Bethy? Do you want us to come out?’
‘No! I don’t think Daisy’s supposed to fly. Are you?’
‘I don’t care what they say, I’ll do what I need to do for my friend, thank you very much.’
Elsa’s eyes goggled. ‘Okay. You need to take a minute.’
Everyone erupted into laughter and Beth continued.
‘You’re not flying out. I’m pretty sure you’re not supposed to fly when pregnant and especially not with IVF and everything you’ve gone through.
I’ll be fine. I just—’ She swallowed down the lump in her throat.
‘I just need some time to get over this.’
‘If you’re sure. You’re not thinking of coming home are you?’
She was home already. Venice was home with its winding streets, historic buildings, canals and salty air.
This gorgeous little apartment had felt more like a home than anywhere she’d ever been before.
She loved that she could dip her fingers into the canal from her bedroom window, that she sometimes ducked to avoid the beams even though she was nowhere near hitting them, that Polo was here snuggled up to her.
She loved her book barge: the Library of Words and this new career she was carving for herself.
One she’d never imagined in a million years.
She had a new wardrobe, a new outlook, she was growing, and she wasn’t finished yet.
Beth shook her head. ‘No, I don’t want to leave Venice. I – I feel like my soul is here, in its history and its culture. I think if I left, I’d feel like a part of me was missing. I’ve never felt so connected with anywhere.’
Or anyone, her brain added.
‘And I was just planning a grand reopening of the book barge. I’m not throwing away everything I’ve achieved here.’
‘Good. And there are other fish in the sea,’ Elsa added. ‘Venice must be full of gorgeous Italian men. It is in the movies anyway. All of Italy is full of gorgeous Italian men. You’ll find another one.’
The problem was she didn’t want another one. She wanted Marco and he was gone.
‘Time will fix this,’ Daisy said calmly.
‘I hope so,’ Beth replied, but the heroes in her novels had nothing on Marco and she was sure most real men wouldn’t either.
As Marco’s smiling face, his ice-blue eyes, strong jaw and dark hair appeared in her mind’s eye, she wasn’t convinced at all that time could do anything other than cause her pain.