by Jayne Castel
Inhaling deeply, Sabrina knew she’d hesitated long enough. She strode across the piazza and into the restaurant.
“Sabrina’s here.”
Daniele’s warning caused Adriano to tense, his body coiling ready for a fight. He looked up from where he’d been overseeing a chef plating dishes and saw Sabrina framed in the kitchen doorway. She was pale, her eyes red-rimmed, but the sight of her merely enraged him.
“Get out,” he growled. “I don’t want to see you.”
However, she didn’t move from the doorway.
“No,” she said quietly, lifting her chin in defiance. “You have every right to be angry but give me five minutes of your time before you turn me away.”
He stared at her, fury enveloping him in a red haze. Who did she think she was, striding in here and making demands of him? Yet, it was clear she was not going anywhere. Worse still, all his chefs—Daniele included—had stopped work and were watching them. Daniele’s eyes were huge on his lean face as his gaze darted between Adriano and Sabrina.
“Adriano …” he began, his voice subdued, “just hear her out.”
Inhaling sharply, Adriano controlled the urge to roar at Daniele; however, this wasn’t his nephew’s fault. It was hers—and his for being such a blind fool.
“Five minutes,” he spat the words out, fixing her with a hard look. “In my office—now.”
She walked ahead of him, stiff-backed and proud, up the hallway to his office. He followed her inside before slamming the door behind them.
“Okay—out with it.”
Sabrina turned to him, and the look of naked vulnerability on her face nearly undid him. She looked so young, so fragile, this evening. He could see the pain in her eyes but he hardened himself against it.
An actress, he reminded himself, and a very good one at that.
“I’m sorry, Adriano,” she began, her voice quavering slightly. “There are no excuses for what I did. I should have told you, the moment we started to get involved.”
He watched her coldly, his arms folded across his chest, and waited for her to continue.
“I wanted to, but I was afraid you wouldn’t believe me—and why would you? Whatever you believe now, I just want you to know that the only acting on my part was me pretending to be a waitress. Everything else, how I’ve responded to you, the things we’ve talked about—none of that was a lie.”
He shrugged, not believing a word of it. He saw the hurt flash across her face but he didn’t care. He wanted to maim her as she had him. “Did you get the evidence you were looking for?” he finally asked, his voice a low drawl.
Her head snapped up, as if he’d just slapped her. “No,” she whispered.
He walked over to his desk and opened the top draw, withdrawing an object. He threw the Bluetooth headset at her, watching her blanch as she caught it.
“Forgot something?”
“It was part of the job,” she whispered. “But I …”
“Come on—enough with the lies.” He stalked toward her, bailing her up against a filing cabinet. “I left a file of documents in full view in my apartment—you must have seen them.”
“I did, but I didn’t do anything with them.”
“You expect me to believe that? There was everything in that file, everything Helen needs to fight me. Are you telling me you didn’t take photos of them?”
Sabrina nodded, her gaze holding his. Her green eyes now glittered with unshed tears. She was so close, all he had to do was lean forward slightly and his lips would be on hers.
“I could never betray you,” she replied, “that’s why Helen was so angry with me.”
Adriano stepped from her, as if burned. “Liar … I think your five minutes are up.”
“No, Adriano—wait.” She reached out and grabbed his arm, stopping him. “Please hear me out. I love you. The past few weeks have been the happiest of my life. If you believe nothing else, please believe that.”
He shrugged her off. “Do you think telling me that will make it all alright? You think it will cancel everything else out?”
She stared at him, tears streaming down her face. “Doesn’t it matter?”
Adriano strode over to the door and flung it open. “No—now get out of my restaurant and out of my life.”
She stood there a moment, her face stricken. Something twisted within Adriano. He hated to see her so upset, in such pain, but he was hurting too and that pain made him lash out. Her cheeks flushed and she swallowed a sob. Then she brushed past him and left the office.
Adriano pushed the door shut behind her and leaned up against it. He should have felt relieved; a narrow miss, another conniving bitch out of his life. Instead, he felt hollow inside, as if a part of him had just died.
Six months later …
Chapter Twenty-two
The plane banked, coming in low over the sprawling terminals of Rome’s Fiumicino airport as it made its final approach. Sabrina watched out of the window, her gaze taking in the wide swathe of blue sky, the strip of tawny earth, and the tarmac of the runway rushing up to meet her.
She closed her eyes and held her breath, only exhaling when she felt the wheels touch down. A smile curved her lips, and she relaxed back against the seat.
I’m back.
The previous six months had been the hardest of her life, but it was all behind her now she had come back to Rome.
She’d returned to New York in pieces—barely able to cope with the wreckage of her life—yet she’d managed in the end. She was a survivor, after all. The first thing she did was shut up shop—Bennett Private Investigations had been her father’s dream, not hers. After everything that had happened, she could no longer face it. The time had come to start over, even if that meant starting with nothing.
Her mom had surprised her. Alicia had listened to Sabrina while she had sobbed out the whole story, but she hadn’t judged her. Instead, she abandoned her role as martyr and gave her daughter the support she needed.
Alicia had taken control, helping Sabrina sell her apartment and going through the paperwork involved in closing the business. In the meantime, she had moved in with her mom and tried to heal the gaping hole in her heart. Alicia had placed no demands on her, no judgements. She had known her daughter just needed time and space to recover.
Bit by bit, the wound had scabbed over but it still felt tender. Once Bennett Private Investigations ceased trading, Sabrina had taken a job as a waitress at her uncle’s restaurant in Brooklyn. However, the pay was crap and her heart lay elsewhere. She could not settle back into New York. The city felt too driven after the freedom she’d experienced in Rome. She didn’t fit in anymore—if she really ever had. Sabrina had lost Adriano but the Eternal City still existed and with each passing day, it called her back.
Eventually, Sabrina had bought a plane ticket back to Rome. She’d thought her mom would disapprove of her decision but Alicia had merely smiled and hugged her. They’d become close over the past few months.
“Do what you must,” she’d told Sabrina with tears in her eyes. “If Italy’s calling you back then you have to go—follow your heart.”
Alicia’s words had set Sabrina free. Her father’s business was gone, laid to rest with his memory. It was time to make a new start.
Her friend Gina had been a little less enthusiastic about Sabrina’s plans. “But what are you going to do in Rome?” she’d demanded one day as they sat in Starbucks drinking lattes. “Where are you going to live?”
Sabrina didn’t know the answer to either of those questions so she’d just shrugged.
“But you don’t have any friends in Rome.”
“Then I’ll have to make some.”
Gina had stared at her as if she’d lost her mind. “What’s happened to you?”
Sabrina had sighed, pushing down irritation. Her friend knew all the details about what had occurred in Rome and still didn’t understand Sabrina’s decision.
“I’m still me,” she’d eventually rep
lied. “I’m just trying to move on with my life that’s all.”
“By running away?”
Sabrina had laughed. “I was running away the day I left Rome,” she answered, noting the confusion on her friend’s face. “Now, I’m going home.”
Sabrina retrieved her carry-on suitcase from the overhead locker and followed the tide of passengers out of the parked plane to where a bus stood waiting to ferry them to the Arrivals terminal. Inside, she collected her suitcase—the biggest one she’d been able to manage while adhering to the baggage limits—and made her way through customs.
Out in the Arrivals hall, Sabrina tried not to look at the crowds of family and friends waiting for loved-ones. Of late, she’d been emotional; the slightest thing moved her to tears. She might not have had anyone to meet her at the airport but she was back in Rome—and that was what mattered.
Ignoring the taxi touts, she pulled her suitcase through the hall and up the escalator to where the Leonardo Express—the train into the center of Rome—was just pulling into the platform.
Bundled up in a thick jacket and scarf, her feet encased in leather boots, Sabrina was dressed very differently to the day she’d left Rome. Then, it had been baking hot. Today, it was the end of January, and there was a chill in the air. Nonetheless, it felt milder than the day she’d left behind in New York, and the blueness of the sky lightened her mood.
On the train into the center, Sabrina watched out the window and went through the plans she’d made. She’d booked the cheapest pensione she could find, near Termini train station. She was on a tight budget so it would have to tide her over until she found a room to rent. First thing tomorrow, she would begin her job hunt. She had some savings, but they would run out soon enough without finding a job.
She would go back to waitressing. It might not have been glamorous, but the vocation didn’t ask for her soul, as being a private investigator had. It was tiring, and the hours could be long, but she liked the people-contact. Rome was filled with restaurants; she’d find a position soon enough.
The ticket inspector entered the carriage then and Sabrina dug around for the ticket she’d made sure to validate before boarding the train.
He checked her ticket and smiled at her. “Here on holiday?”
“No, coming home.”
His smile widened and he winked at her. “Ben tornata, allora.”
The ticket inspector continued on his way through the carriage but a smile still lingered upon Sabrina’s lips.
Ben tornata—welcome back.
Half an hour later, Sabrina lugged her suitcase out of the lift and along the narrow corridor toward her hotel room. She’d checked in downstairs in a dingy, thread-bare lobby. The girl behind the desk had clearly been having a bad day. Sabrina had entered the hotel to find the young woman engaged in a passionate argument on the phone.
“No, I don’t want to go. I already told you—I’m busy that night … why don’t you ever listen!”
The call had ended with her slamming the receiver down. Then she’d glared at Sabrina for daring to interrupt her. It had been a relief to finish checking in and escape the girl’s baleful presence.
Sabrina slotted the ancient key into the lock and twisted. The lock reluctantly gave and she pushed the door open. The room wasn’t as bad as she’d expected. From the cheapness of the hotel and the warmth of her reception downstairs, Sabrina had expected a dive. It wasn’t five-star, but the room was clean with pale blue walls and a gleaming grey tiled floor. Two single beds lined the walls. There was no bathroom in here; Sabrina would have to share one with other guests at the end of the corridor.
A small sacrifice, she told herself, dragging her suitcase into the middle of the room. A cheap room meant she was in Rome now and not having to wait a few months longer.
A few paces took her across the room to the windows. She opened them, letting in the roar of the noon traffic. Just a block back from the city’s busy Termini station, this area was another world from the medieval street she’d stayed on six months earlier. Helen Bellini had been paying for that studio apartment rental—gone were the days when she could afford such luxury.
Sabrina leaned against the railing, peering out of the window down at the street below. She was high up, on the fifth floor of a grimy building. Scooters zipped past, and shoppers scurried by. The air smelled of car-exhaust and was cold on her cheeks, however, she happily breathed it in.
She may have lost everything—including the man she’d fallen in love with—but today she’d reclaimed a little of the woman she’d discovered during her stay in Rome. She had little money, no job, no friends, and no fixed abode, but she was back in her favorite place in the world.
Adriano is out there somewhere.
She pushed the thought aside, and turned away from the window, her good mood dimming. She hadn’t come back for him—she knew he’d refuse to see her anyway. Even so, this city was full of memories of Adriano Bellini. It was something she’d just have to deal with.
***
Adriano Bellini watched the boy run across the schoolyard and toward the gates. Lean and gangly, a mop of dark hair flopping across his eyes, Luca waved excitedly when he saw his father waiting for him.
The joy on the boy’s face made Adriano’s chest constrict. I should have started doing this earlier.
“Papà!” Luca launched himself through the gates and rushed at Adriano, who caught him up in his arms for a hug.
Laughing, Adriano set his son down and relieved him of the monster-sized backpack he wore to school. “Did you have a good morning?”
Luca nodded. “We studied about space, about the solar system.”
“Really? What did you learn then?”
“The planet closest to the sun is mercury. Humans can’t live there.”
They began walking away from the school toward Adriano’s parked scooter. It was a cold, bright day, and despite that it was mid-winter Adriano could feel some heat in the sun as he turned his face up to it.
“What are the two planets closest to the earth then?” he asked Luca.
“Venus and Mars,” the boy responded proudly. “Mars is also called ‘the red planet’”
Adriano grinned. “Well done—you really were paying attention.”
They reached his scooter, and Adriano opened up the seat and pulled out a helmet for his son. He wedged Luca’s backpack in and snapped the seat closed. Luca scrambled up eagerly behind him as he put on his own helmet. Adriano started the engine and kicked the scooter forward off its stand. Once he felt the boy’s arms tighten around his waist, he accelerated away.
It was a ten-minute ride back to Trastevere, through busy streets, thronged—as ever—with traffic. Adriano drove carefully—slower than he did when he rode alone. However, he knew Luca loved travelling around Rome on the back of his scooter—a way of life for many children growing up in this traffic-clogged city. It had become their routine over the past few months. He picked Luca up from work, made lunch for them both, and spent the afternoon with him before the baby-sitter arrived at 5pm and Adriano went off to work.
Adriano had made some sacrifices in order to have his son live with him. He’d had to reduce his hours, and he’d turned down the next season’s filming of BestChef Italia. Once, having to do so would have bothered him, now it had been a relief. He still managed his food empire, and spent most evenings overseeing the two restaurants he had in Rome. It kept him busy enough—but it meant he could now share his life with his son, something money could never buy.
Back at his apartment, Adriano and Luca fell into their usual routine. As always, they prepared lunch together. The boy already showed an interest and aptitude for cooking; not surprising really since every member of Adriano’s family was a good cook. Chatting together about their respective mornings, they made a tomato, garlic, and basil sauce and boiled some spaghetti to go with it, followed by a green salad mixed with tuna.
Seated at the dining table, Adriano watched his son tuck i
nto his lunch and felt a familiar warmth steal over him. He was glad they had this time together every day—he’d never seen Luca so happy.
Ironically, Sabrina Bennett had helped him change his priorities.
As always, the thought of her made his throat tighten. Even now, six months later, he couldn’t forgive her betrayal. At first, he’d just been angry—so angry he hadn’t been able to think straight for days. He’d let her into his life, opened up to her, and the whole time she’d been living a lie, pretending to be someone she wasn’t.
And she’d done such a good job of it, he’d never suspected.
A private investigator. He still couldn’t believe it. Initially, he’d been terrified that—despite her denial to the contrary—she had taken photos of the legal documents. There was sensitive information in there that would help Helen’s bid to gain custody of Luca.
Once the trial started, he realized Sabrina had given Helen nothing.
Still, the realization hadn’t made him soften toward Sabrina. He hadn’t known her at all; the real woman was a stranger to him. He was only glad he hadn’t revealed his true feelings for her. He’d been about to that morning. After an unforgettable night together, where their lovemaking had spoken more than words ever could, he’d kissed her on the street and been about to open his heart.
Helen had interrupted them just in time.
Adriano pushed aside his half-eaten plate of spaghetti. Thinking about the incident still tied his gut in knots. It was as if he’d stepped into someone else’s life, into a nightmare there was no way out of. In an instant, everything had changed. He had gone from happiness to misery, and it had torn him up inside. It had been a mistake to trust a woman again after Helen—one he wouldn’t ever make again.
Chapter Twenty-three