by Megan Cole
Sapphire felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up. ‘Is that why you hated me so much?’ she whispered.
Raphael shook his head. ‘It wasn’t that I hated you, Sapphire. It was just that seeing you stirred up all the memories, the feelings. Jessica was English too, a spoilt little rich girl with no thought of anyone but herself. So when you turned up…’
‘You thought I was exactly the same,’ Sapphire said.
Raphael nodded. ‘Yes, but it was more than that. There are things that have happened that you cannot understand.’
Sapphire stared at him. ‘Try me.’
Raphael took a long time before replying. ‘Jessica was a university student, in Rome on her gap year. I met her when I was working as a caretaker at the college she was studying at. Even though she was several years older than me, I fell head over heels in love with her. Not that I would have ever told her that; Jessica was far too beautiful and sophisticated for me. We struck up a kind of friendship. Looking back now, I am sure it was only because she was in a foreign country, away from everything she knew.’ His lips curled up bitterly. ‘In England, she would have never given someone like me the time of day.’
Raphael sighed. ‘We hung out, I showed her round Rome. I think I knew she saw me as some kind of plaything, but I didn’t want to admit it. I really thought I had a chance.’ He laughed derisively. ‘Then she met my brother Gabriel.’
‘Oh,’ Sapphire said. She had a feeling she knew where this was going.
‘All the girls loved Gabriel,’ Raphael said. ‘He was older than me, handsome, charming. Of course, the moment Jessica saw him, she had to have him. And what Jesssica wanted, Jessica got. For his part, Gabriel felt the same. It was the first time I had ever really seen him fall for someone. And it was real love, not the puppy dog infatuation I felt for her. My mamma was delighted too, she treated Jessica like the daughter she’d never had. There was only the three of us before, as my father had died some years before. Jessica seemed to breathe new life into our home. I saw my mother laugh for the first time in years.’ He stopped, his face suddenly bleak. ‘And then Jessica fell pregnant.’
Sapphire was spellbound. She could see the emotions running through Raphael’s face as he spoke. He looked so anguished, so alone, that she had an urge to reach out and touch his face, tell him it would be all right.
‘What happened next?’ she asked softly.
Raphael’s jaw tightened. ‘Gabriel was overjoyed and even though my mother was shocked — it is not how we do things here in Italy — she was so excited at the thought of being a grandmother. I can still hear her voice, “Bella mia, Jessica, you have made our family whole again!”’
He shook his head bitterly. ‘Gabriel didn’t have much money, he worked in a shop, but he took out his whole life savings to buy Jessica an engagement ring. My brother was so happy the night before he did it. “Raphael,” he said to me, “I am going to be the best father in the world! I have finally found my calling in life.” The next day, he went down on one knee and proposed to her.’
Raphael’s head suddenly snapped up, his face full of undisguised anger. ‘And do you know what that, that, girl said? She laughed in my brother’s face, while he was still kneeling at her feet, and said if he thought she would ever get engaged to a nobody like him, then he was a fool. Especially with a ring that looked like it had come from a market stall.’
Raphael shuddered, reliving the memory. ‘Jessica told him that it had just been a holiday fling and she was flying back to England for an abortion.’
Sapphire felt terrible for Raphael. It was horrible to see him looking so broken. Raphael gave a twisted smile. ‘And you want to know the best thing? When Gabriel asked Jessica why she’d gone out with him in the first place, she tossed back her hair and said, “When in Rome, darling! Every girl’s got to try an Italian.”’
‘What a total bitch,’ Sapphire said feelingly.
Raphael sighed deeply. ‘Gabriel was too much in love with her to see what she was really like. He begged her not to have the abortion, but she flew home two days later without leaving any contact details. Gabriel tried desperately to track her down, but it was no use.’
Sapphire felt her eyes well up. ‘Oh, Raphael.’
His voice was flat and void of emotion. ‘Gabriel started drinking after that and pretty soon he lost his job. My mother, she drove herself to distraction worrying about him. When he lost his home and went missing, she walked the streets night after night until she found him living like a dog under a railway bridge. It was too late by then, the heroin had found its way to him.’
What he said next shocked Sapphire to the core. ‘My mother died of a heart attack last October.’ Raphael’s voice wavered momentarily. ‘She died of a broken heart, Sapphire, after what that girl did to our family. How could someone treat people in such a way?’
A solitary tear rolled down his face. He wiped it off and looked away, as if embarrassed. Sapphire put her hand on his arm, fighting back tears herself. ‘Raphael, I really am so sorry.’ She couldn’t bear the pain he had been through. She wanted to hold him in her arms and tell him it would be OK. ‘What about Gabriel?’
‘The last I heard he was selling drugs,’ said Raphael tonelessly. ‘Every time I have tried to reason with him, he has turned on me and told me to leave. I fear he is lost to me forever.’
Poor, poor, Raphael. Sapphire suddenly felt terribly guilty. She had been thinking he was hiding some dark and dangerous secret, and all along it had been something completely different. She didn’t deserve to be so happy when Raphael had been going through such an awful time. He was completely alone in the world, through no fault of his own. She sighed; no wonder he’d had such strong feelings when he’d first seen her.
‘I overheard you on the phone once,’ she admitted. ‘You were talking about death and destruction.’
Raphael looked contemptuous. ‘I never thought I would hear from that girl again, but she had the cheek to ring me and ask if I could act as a tour guide to one of her friends who was visiting Rome.’ He looked angry, incredulous. ‘I told her exactly what she had done to my family and said to never contact me again.’ Raphael gave a tight smile. ‘It gave me a little pleasure, but it won’t bring my family back to me again.’
Sapphire couldn’t bear for him to go through life carrying such an awful burden. ‘You talk about seeing the light at the end of “Jewel”, Raphael. What is the light? Have you managed to find some happiness?’
He turned to look at her, eyes burning with a look she’d never seen before. ‘You, Sapphire. You are the light! You are the real jewel in the song. There was nothing more to Jessica than a pretty shell, but you… you are beautiful on the inside and out.’ A tender smile crossed his lips. ‘Sapphire by name and Sapphire by nature.’
Sapphire was so shocked, she couldn’t speak. Slowly, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, Raphael lifted his hand to her face.
‘You are so much like her, but then also you are not. There is such warmth in you, Sapphire, such beauty in unexpected places.’
His hand continued to caress her face, hypnotising her. His touch was cool, and as he bent his head towards her she could feel his breath on her cheek.
‘I should go,’ she stammered, but her body seemed to have a mind of its own. Very slowly, Raphael leant in and kissed her. If Cam’s lips were soft, Raphael’s seemed to actually melt into her own. It was as if she could feel every nerve ending, every heartbeat between them. Despite herself, Sapphire started to kiss him back. There was such a passion, yet such a sweetness about it, that she felt powerless to resist. Suddenly, it was as if the whole world had stopped and they were the only two people who existed.
‘What the hell is going on here?’
She sprang back from Raphael like a scalded cat. To her absolute horror, Cam was standing over them. He looked furious.
‘I can’t believe you’re hooking up with him, when you were only with me a few days ago!’
‘Cam, it’s not what you think!’ She jumped up, blood draining from her face. ‘I mean, it just happened, I wasn’t—’
‘Like it just happened with us?’ Cam sounded really upset.
Raphael stood up, his face confused. ‘But I thought…’ Instantly, the wall went up again and he stared at her with undisguised hostility. ‘You have kissed Cam as well?’
Sapphire stared at the ground, not knowing what to say. This was awful! Raphael made a disgusted sound and, grabbing his guitar, stalked off. Cam looked at her and shook his head. ‘I thought you really cared about me.’
‘I do!’ she cried. ‘Oh God, I can’t explain what just happened. I’m so sorry.’
‘I’m sorry too, Sapphire. I thought we had something.’
‘Cam!’ she shouted, but he’d already stormed off in the other direction. Legs shaking, Sapphire collapsed on the sand and burst into tears. A slight noise made her look up.
A few feet away, across the sand, Brad was standing with Madison and Simonetta. His face looked totally shocked. With another jolt of complete despair, Sapphire realised they’d witnessed the whole thing.
Chapter forty
Madison let out a scandalised laugh, ‘Oh my God, Sapphire. You’ve really done it this time!’
‘Be quiet, Madison,’ Brad snapped. He looked at Sapphire sternly. ‘What’s this? Have you really been carrying on with Cam and Raphael under my roof?’ Sapphire looked away, tears of shock and upset fighting their way up her throat. Brad took her silence as confirmation. ‘I see.’ His voice was cold. ‘Well, Sapphire, I have to say I thought more of you. You’ve totally abused my trust, young lady.’
‘It wasn’t like that,’ she tried to say, but Brad cut her off. ‘I could see exactly what it was like.’ He stepped forward. ‘Look at me, Sapphire.’ She tried to meet his harsh gaze.
‘Listen, I have given you more chances than you probably deserve, but this is the very last time, do you hear me? Any more bad behaviour from you and I’ll be putting you on the next plane home.’
It was all Sapphire could do to nod miserably. ‘Yes, Brad.’
Brad nodded curtly. ‘Now get out of my sight. I think you’ve got some apologising to do.’
Sapphire wept the entire way back to the house. Brad obviously thought she was a total slut now. She’d seen the looks on Madison and Simonetta’s faces as well, like she was just a piece of dirt. Madison was probably in seventh heaven about her getting caught like that. A fresh wave of tears came; she hadn’t meant to hurt anyone. Her stomach clenched as she thought of Cam’s face, looking down on her and Raphael kissing. And now Raphael hated her as well. It was like some kind of awful nightmare. She had to try and do something.
She desperately knocked at his door for a few minutes before Raphael finally opened it. He stared down at her like she was a stranger, eyes almost black in the dimness of the corridor. ‘What do you want?’
‘Raphael, I’m so sorry,’ Sapphire gulped. ‘I truly never meant for this. Ruining our friendship is the last thing I want to happen.’
His face tightened with anger. ‘Our friendship? I was just about to…’ He stopped himself and glared at her. ‘I was wrong about you, Sapphire. You are just like the rest of them. Playing your stupid games that hurt other people’s feelings and ruin lives!’
Sapphire was confused. What did he mean, playing games? ‘Raphael, I don’t understand—’
‘Oh, I think you understand perfectly,’ he said coldly. ‘Why don’t you get back to your rich, little world and carry on having fun? That’s all that matters to girls like you, isn’t it? Fun.’
‘Raphael!’ she pleaded. ‘I’m not like that.’
‘Leave now,’ he said, his voice a dangerous growl. ‘I never want to lay eyes on you again.’ The door slammed violently in her face. Sapphire put her face in her hands and started to weep.
The evening got even worse. After failing to reach him on his mobile, Sapphire went over to the guesthouse to try and explain to Cam. A bulky minder with a shaved head wouldn’t even let her past the front door. Not that it would have made much difference. As she forlornly made her way back to the main house, Sapphire received a text from Cam.
It’s over. Forget it. Just leave me alone.
Fighting back tears, Sapphire ran straight to her bedroom. No one came to see if she was all right, not that she expected them to. She was even too upset to phone her mum. After hours of sobbing, she eventually cried herself to sleep.
She was woken by a knock at the door. Sapphire’s eyes were still so swollen she could hardly make out the time on her wristwatch. She only knew it was morning from the sunlight streaming in through the curtains. ‘Who is it?’ she called out croakily.
‘Maggie.’ Her tone was no-nonsense. ‘Let me in.’
Sapphire’s heart sank; she couldn’t face another person having a go at her. Reluctantly she got up, still dressed in her clothes from last night, and went over to the door. Bracing herself, Sapphire pulled the door open and waited for the telling-off to start. To her surprise, Maggie was standing there looking worried.
‘What have you got yourself into this time?’ Her kindly voice set Sapphire off again.
‘Maggie, everything’s gone wrong,’ she cried, throwing herself into the housekeeper’s arms.
‘Oh, darlin’,’ Maggie said a few minutes later. They were sitting on Sapphire’s bed, Maggie holding a box of tissues. Sapphire had eventually stopped crying; she didn’t think she had any left to shed anyway.
Sapphire had just told Maggie what had happened. ‘I’m really not that kind of girl, Maggie,’ she said. ‘It’s all been a horrible misunderstanding. And now Brad hates me as well.’
‘Hate is a very strong word,’ Maggie told her. ‘I’m sure Mr Masters doesn’t feel like that.’
‘Cam hates me, that’s for sure,’ Sapphire said gloomily. ‘And Raphael. I’ve made such a mess of things.’
Maggie sighed. ‘I don’t know, you young people.’ She put a hand on Sapphire’s knee. ‘Come on now, pull yourself together. You must hold your head up high and prove to everyone what you’re really like.’
‘I think it’s too late for that. Even if I did try to talk to them, they’d probably just tell me where to go.’
‘I have faith in you, Sapphire,’ Maggie told her.
Sapphire tried to grin. ‘At least someone does.’ She exhaled shakily, feeling the tiniest bit better. ‘Maybe I will give it a go.’
The housekeeper shifted on the bed. ‘There is another reason I’m here.’
Sapphire looked at her. ‘Oh?’
‘Brad asked me to come and tell you the private jet is ready to fly to Florida.’
Sapphire felt sick; in all the drama she’d totally forgotten about the trip. ‘When are we going?’ she asked apprehensively. If she just had a few more days, she could talk to both Cam and Raphael and try to bring them round.
Maggie looked at her, face serious. ‘If you want to make amends, Sapphire, you’d better do it quickly. You’re flying out this afternoon.’
It was the weirdest experience of her life. Here she was, flying on a private jet, the stuff of dreams, yet Sapphire had never felt more miserable or lonely. As she glanced across the narrow aisle to where Brad, Simonetta and Madison sat talking and laughing together, Sapphire felt like they were deliberately excluding her. She hadn’t missed the sly little glances Madison kept shooting her way, either. Brad had hardly said two words to her since they’d been on board.
Sapphire sunk down in the soft leather seat, wishing she had an Invisibility Cloak to pull around her. Raphael hadn’t even bothered to answer the door when she’d gone around again to try and talk to him, and there was no way she could get through Cam’s impenetrable entourage. To her relief, he was flying separately with his team. Until she had climbed on board at Rome airport, she’d had no idea that the space inside private jets was so small. It might look fantastic and be worth millions of dollars, but there was barely room
to swing a cat. To sit so close to Cam in these circumstances would have been agony.
The glamorous flight attendant, her uniform the same silver and blue colours as the aircraft, appeared in front of her. ‘Miss Stevens, can I get you anything?’
‘No, thank you,’ Sapphire said. She looked out of the window and tried to prepare herself for what was ahead.
Chapter forty-one
Key West, Florida
Madison stretched out in bed and smiled. Now that she was back on home turf she felt even more invincible. Homelands had turned out to be even more awesome than she’d imagined. It was a sprawling mansion with huge white pillars flanking the front door and acres of gardens, complete with swaying palm trees and a lake full of these weird, pink birds. Madison had thought they were flamingos, but on their tour last night Brad had called them spoonbills or something. Like, whatever! As if she was here for a nature lesson.
Throughout the tour last night, Madison had slipped her arms through Brad’s and walked with him slightly ahead of the other two. As they took in the swimming pool and mini-golf course, the fleet of shining cars in the garages, Madison had never felt so truly at home. This was where she belonged, amongst all the wealth and glamour. She could just imagine herself living in a place like this and reclining poolside in a killer one-piece, snapping her fingers at the staff to bring her a freshly squeezed pomegranate juice. When she got her hands on Brad’s money, she could have, like, hundreds of places like this!
Madison was also suitably satisfied to see that Sapphire was moping around with a face like a wet weekend. As far as Madison was concerned, the skanky slut had had it coming to her. She so wasn’t Little Miss Perfect now. As far as Madison was concerned, it was all working out just fine. Forget needing any help from her — Sapphire had gone and stitched herself up good and proper. As if she’d really had any chance with Cam Tyler! Now Madison had to think about how to get rid of that skinny ho, Simonetta. And she had the perfect plan for that.