My Italian Doctor

Chapter Ten

As soon as he dropped me off, I walked back to the house and wished yet again that I had worn flats. It seemed even more pointless given that we had spent most of the night either lakeside or in our room. I felt like I was walking on air, but my feet didn't seem to agree. I was surprised that I hadn't seen anyone wandering around. It was normally a hive of activity.

Even the house seemed quiet. I had hoped to see someone. Even just to let someone know I was back in the house. I had told Aurora that I was staying out so she wouldn't worry, but after the lack of sleep, I wanted to tell her that I wouldn't be going into the warehouse. It was looking like I would have no choice but to message her, to let her know.

I started composing the message as I headed up the stairs and opened the door absent-mindedly. I really wasn't prepared for what faced me, and the lack of sleep certainly wasn't going to help the situation. There they were, bold as brass, kissing and rolling around on the bed. They were acting like teenagers and it really got on my nerves. I understood why Rylie was losing her mind, but Luca was meant to know better.

I couldn't stop myself. I barged over to the bed and start hitting him. I was so sick of him taking advantage of her. I just couldn't stop myself. It wasn't until Rylie shouted at me that my brain registered what I was even really doing. I agreed to give them a minute, but I was less than happy about it. As soon as I had shut the door, I was sure they would be talking about me or going back to no good. I decided on a whim to shout through the door, "I heard that."

I couldn't understand why Rylie still hadn't told Luca about the baby, but I wished she would hurry up and do it. The sooner she did, the sooner we could get all of it dealt with. The way she was going, she would literally be standing in her bridesmaid dress at the side of Luca and his bride. I really hoped it didn't come to that, but I really couldn't see how we were going to avoid it, especially if Rylie didn't find some amount of courage.

“Time's up, out!” Luca left without a fight, but that wasn't surprising. It wasn't like he had ever fought for her.

“That wasn’t necessary. Can’t you see he’s hurting?”

“And what about you and her?” I tried to remind her about Jellybean and her importance. She needed to dump Luca and the drama he caused. "He is not your concern anymore. She is. The stress of all this is not doing you any good.” I just wanted to protect them both. I knew it was a low blow to bring up Jellybean, but she needed to realise what she was doing and the stakes involved. She had already managed to get herself put in the hospital, the stress of everything was way too much for her clearly.

As we got ready for the meal, I straightened Rylie's hair for her. I couldn't sit there and watch her struggle, but I was still so angry with her. She stood in front of me expectantly, and I didn't have the heart to ignore her. She had been so self-conscious about her growing stomach and people noticing it. Which was yet another reason she needed to hurry up and tell Luca. Once it was out in the open, she would be able to relax finally. “Very nice, but I’m still not talking to you.”

After she left the room, I couldn't help but pine for my carefree simple moments with George. Yet again, the situation with her and Luca had left me beyond stressed. I grabbed my phone and messaged him, hoping it would be enough to help me relax.

Emily: Hey, how's working going? You managing to stay awake alright?"

George: I've drunk about a gallon of coffee. How are you doing? Isn't it the big meal tonight?"

Emily: I'm not gonna lie, I went for a nap. I'm alright. Yeah, it is and I am seriously not looking forward to it. Can we head back to the lake now, please?

George: Anytime, well, except now.

Emily: I best go show my face. If I send you an SOS, you best come rescue me."

George: I'll even bring the helicopter.

When I headed down to the party, I spotted Luca. I clung to his side, purposely reminding him of his crimes just by my presence. Joining in on the idle chit-chat. After his uncle had wandered off to speak to someone else, he pulled me to one side.

"Em, seriously, you need to knock it off."

"What do I need to knock off exactly?"

"My uncle literally thought you were Amelia. It's bad enough having Rylie here without people thinking there's something going on between us."

"Gross! As if I would go anywhere near you. I know you better than them, remember? I know you're not the nice shiny Luca you pretend to be. Maybe if I'm within reach, I can stop you and Rylie from jumping each other." He moved to walk away, but I followed him. I was only half joking about the pair of them getting it on in front of everyone. Even if they didn't go anywhere near each other, the electricity between them was too visible for a crowd of people not to notice.

After we sat down at the table, I looked at Rylie. She looked like she was living a nightmare and my heart soften. She was in an impossible position, and I understood how she was drawn to Luca. I felt the same way about George. I didn't love him. It was much too early for that, but I felt like I needed contact with him to survive. He had become my coping mechanism.

I took pity on her and filled her plate with foods I hoped she would be able to stomach. I hated that I couldn't be mad at her. I wanted to be, I really did, but I just wasn't capable.

After she left the table and headed upstairs, Luca announced to the room that she hadn't been well and that he needed to check on her. He was playing with fire. I felt like I was watching a car crash about to happen, but with no way of stopping it. Amelia was absolutely fuming. I could practically see the bitterness erupting from her. She knew as well as I did that Luca and Rylie were meant to be, and she was fighting with everything she had to keep her grip on him.

Amelia was in a mood to cause trouble. It was obvious when she commented on Rylie not drinking. Suddenly, the whole room was paying attention. When she questioned if Rylie was pregnant, I nearly spat my mouthful of wine across the table. The sibling spat that erupted between Aurora and Luca did nothing to help the situation. He was getting so annoyed with her for not telling him that she suspected about the baby. There was no way anyone could miss how invested he was in the situation.

I wanted to throttle Amelia; she had known exactly what she was doing. I was only slightly satisfied that she didn't seem to have realised that her husband-to-be was the father. Everyone at the table might have been watching Luca, but I couldn't take my eyes off Amelia. As the realisation sunk in, she slowly slinked back into her chair. It served her right for being so cruel in the first place. She was the sort of person whose awful personality radiated from her and yet somehow Luca had missed it completely.

She wasn't even remotely in Rylie's league, and the sooner Luca realised that the better. I didn't even know what I was supposed to do. I could see the disaster developing in front of me, but I had no way of stopping it from happening. It was way too late for that. The only thing I could do was to try to support Rylie in the aftermath. Luca seemed so annoyed, but he hadn't even looked at Rylie since the news had come out. I had been so sure he would step up, but my certainty was vanishing with every second that passed.

He just didn't seem to be able to see the importance at that moment. He was focusing on completely the wrong issue. I wished George had been able to have attended. It would have been nice not to be facing everything alone. Not that he would have been able to do anything, anyway. It would have just been nice to have been able to grip his hand beneath the table. It would have helped ease my stress and given me something else to focus on.

When Rylie bolted from the room, I wanted to follow her, but Luca beat me to it. I might have wanted her to tell him, but I certainly didn't want it to have come out like that in front of everyone. My heart ached for her, but I was beyond relieved that Luca had followed her. It had to mean something that he had dashed out and left Amelia shouting after him. It felt like at that moment he had made his choice, even if he didn't know it. His gut instincts had kicked in and proved how much he loved Rylie.