My Italian Doctor

Chapter Thirty Two

In my mind, I saw that situation going so many different ways. I had half expected my dad to punch him in front of a room full of onlookers. He didn't, he was too reserved for such outbursts. As soon as Bradford released me, he calmed down. I wasted no time walking over to my dad. We both just retreated to his office and ignored Bradford's existence. The whole experience had shown me that while my mum was with Bradford, we could have no relationship at all.

The fact that he thought he could speak to me like that was enough for me to know it was impossible. That was before he had laid his hand on me, which just cemented it even more in my mind. Bradford was a tool and I was even more disappointed in my mum for going anywhere near him. The idea that she had given her entire life up in exchange for such a man made me want to vomit.

"So, what have I done to receive the honour of a visit?" I couldn't believe that he had been able to switch off from the drama so easily and so quickly.

"It isn't the first time I've visited you at work, Dad. I've been away for weeks, I just wanted to check in."

"Who told you? Your mum or Bradford?" I had been hoping to break it to him a little more delicately but it was clear that the situation with Bradford had given away that I knew all about the affair already. I was even madder with my mum than before. If she hadn't told Bradford about my visit, he never would have come over to speak to me and Dad would have been none the wiser.

"Mum, but she didn't mean to. I'm sorry Dad." In her defence, she had only told me because I had assumed it was him who had cheated. Not that I was going to tell him that, I felt guilty enough for jumping to that conclusion without seeing the sadness in his eyes if I told him.

"I'm sorry."

"What are you sorry for?"

"I didn't want you to find out about all that. I didn't want you to feel like you needed to take sides. Judging by your altercation with Bradford, that is exactly what you've done. You mustn't blame your mother." I couldn't believe he was sticking up for her after everything she had done.

"I'm not sure it counts as taking sides. At the end of the day, she betrayed you and that's not right." I couldn't stop thinking about George as I said the words. Except I wasn't my dad in that situation, I was Bradford. The whole idea was abhorrent.

"The truth is, Em, when someone betrays you they have done you a favour. It hurts, but at least you know the real them. It prevents you from living a lie and allows you to move on to better things." We sat on the little black leather sofa in his office and he pulled me closer. Putting his arm around my shoulders. "Whoever he is, he isn't worth it."

"How did you know?"

"You had that look in your eyes. Do you remember when you were younger and I always knew when you lied to me?"

"Yeah."

"You always got this guilty glint in your eyes. It's there right now. I don't know what you think you have done but it is obviously connected to some boy. When you talk about your mother, that glint gets brighter. I don't know why you think you are as guilty as she is, but I do know you are wrong."

"It's worse than that. I'm as bad as Bradford."

"No, you are not. Maybe you should tell me what happened, then I can tell you just how wrong you are." I didn't want to tell him, mainly because I didn't want him to see me differently. Despite that, I had learnt from my time with Aurora that sharing helped and I needed that kind of help.

"I met someone in Italy."

"I figured."

"I considered moving there. It's so beautiful Dad, not just the place but the people. You would love it there. Luca's dad, Pops, he's so kind to everyone and watching him when he works on the vines, it's magical. Like there is nothing he would rather do in a million lifetimes. Mamma is obsessed with feeding everyone and taking care of them. She would look after the whole of Italy if she could. Then, when she is with Aurora, Luca's sister, the pair are full of trouble and mischief. They behave like two young kids."

"What about Rylie? How's she doing? Your mum said she was expecting."

"She's staying there on the vineyard, going into business with Aurora. It's like everyone there has little choice but to be happy. I felt like that for a while and got swept away by the atmosphere. I think she and Luca are going to work things out but I haven't heard anything yet. Either way, she seems more settled and happy again."

"So, where does the boy come in?"

"George and I'm not convinced he can be classed as a boy. He's a doctor. I really liked him, Dad." I could feel the tears that I had been unable to shed, slowly dripping down my face. "He's married." I had been right all along. With each tear that flowed, I felt less and less tense.

"So, that is why you think you are like Bradford."

"I am. I might not have known in the beginning, but I should have. I should have asked more questions and put the clues together. I thought about walking away before I found out about his wife and I wish I had. The whole thing is such a mess. I miss him so much, but even that feels like I'm betraying everything I believe in."

"How did you find out?"

"His wife told me. He said they were separated but then he would, wouldn't he? They have a daughter together who is now going to be picking sides just like I am."

"You don't need to take sides. I'm a big boy, I can handle what happened. The last thing I would want would be for your relationship with your mum to be affected by anything. What she did, it doesn't make her a bad mum." I appreciated his point of view but it didn't change anything, I wished it did. There was no way I would be giving her the benefit of the doubt while she still had Brayford in her life. I did know though that I would need to message her and tell her what had happened in the office.

I just sat there, hoping his goodness would rub off on me. In the face of everything, he was strong enough to put me first and have a brave face. All the while, he was going through so much and I was falling apart over a couple of weeks of a fling. I felt like I was five again, crying on his shoulder. It was the most healing I had managed in a long time. There was something about that kind of fatherly support that magically healed.

When I left, it felt like something had healed between us. Like we could speak freely to one another again. Before he released me at the lift, he made me promise to be kinder to myself. I told him I would try, but it wasn't an easy task. Everything with George felt like an open wound. I had left Italy so quickly. I hadn't wanted to speak to him, but I should have.

If I had spoken with him before I left, I could have put it all behind me so much more easily. I just had so many questions about everything. Something inside of me had told me he was a decent man, not a perfect one, but a decent one. I had no idea how I could have been so wrong about it, it just didn't make sense. He had fooled everyone into believing it, not just me. Part of me wanted to believe him, but how could someone make up lies like that? It didn't make sense.

His wife would have to be a complete nutter to accost me the way she did if they weren't together and hadn't been for years. Even if he was telling the truth and he was separated, he should have told me the situation. He had left me to be completely blindsided. If he had told me the situation upfront, I might have been more inclined to believe his version of what had happened between them.

I rounded the corner to the flat and couldn't quite believe my eyes. He was there, right in front of me. Sitting on the steps that led up to my flat. He was slumped forward with his head in his hands, looking at him like that I could almost feel sorry for him. I ducked back around the corner before he spotted me. I knew I had no choice but to face him, but I needed a minute. It had already been one hell of a day and I wasn't sure I had enough energy to deal with him on top of everything else.

Regardless, I had no choice. I walked to the flat, keeping my head held high and trying to project confidence. I was suddenly regretting my slightly tired wardrobe choices. As I came to a stop in front of him, he looked up and smiled. It wasn't even a remote effort at a smile, he seemed too tired to move even the smallest of muscles.

"George, what are you doing here?"

"I came for you. I love you." I headed through the door, not waiting for him to follow.