My Italian Doctor

Chapter Twenty Four

The club wasn't in full swing when we got there and was still serving food. Aurora led me to a table and ordered for the both of us. I was grateful it was easier than having to work out what I was looking at in Italian. The table Aurora had picked was outside overlooking Verona, and as the sun began to set, the view was getting better and better. It was like we were perched on top of the world.

"This place is beautiful."

"I know and because it's so close to the hills, we don't even have to brave the traffic of Verona." It had such a relaxed vibe with soft sofas sitting out on the patio and soft live jazz filling the surrounding air. I could feel myself relaxing completely. When the food came, it was a sharing platter full of bite-sized bits, perfect for the start of a night out. It was all so light and simple.

"It's not as dancy as I expected." I turned back to Aurora as I spoke.

"You wait till later on. It will seem like a completely different venue." I wanted to check my phone to see if there was a message from George. I wouldn't because that wouldn't be fair to Aurora. If I sat watching my phone all night, I might as well have cancelled on her. Regardless, I wanted to and I couldn't help but wonder if he would wander into the club any second. I felt like a child on Christmas morning waiting to be able to open their presents.

Aurora had been right about the club. The later it got, the more the club changed. It started with just a few people getting up to dance between the table outside. Then the music changed to much more upbeat tunes, none of which I recognised, but they were great nonetheless. When the light started to be dimmed, we caved and got up and danced, cocktails in hand.

I had gone from feeling calm and tranquil to feeling pumped and ready to let loose. There was no sign of George, but I tried to forget he was even meant to be coming and tried to just be there in the moment with Aurora. I had been completely right about Aurora. Outside of the office, she was wild. She was dancing so much that I struggled to keep up with her. When she climbed on a table and started swaying away, I couldn't help but laugh.

Before I could join her, security came over and reprimanded her. She got down straight away but had the greatest puppy look on her face as she flirted with the bouncer. It was amusing to watch, and I couldn't help but giggle away. The poor bloke looked like he didn't know where to put himself and she tried to force him to dance with her. Once he managed to break free from her, I stepped in and stopped her from following him back to his post.

"You need to behave yourself."

"Never! This was the best idea. I don't know why we haven't done it sooner." We were both shouting to be heard over the music, and never stopped dancing, even for a second. I was sure I could feel someone watching us and turned, hoping it was George. It wasn't and I couldn't see anyone, particularly paying attention to us, but I couldn't shake the feeling. It made me feel rather uneasy.

"When I come back from England, we will make it a regular outing."

"I can't wait. I can't believe you and Rylie are moving here. Finally, I'm not going to be outnumbered by men. There are so few women at the vineyard. Other than my cousin, who has a baby, and no longer wants to be quite so crazy. She prefers nice grown-up nights out." She pulled me into a big hug and started bouncing around and forced me to go with it. I couldn't believe just how free she was away from work. The trouble with living at the vineyard was that she never really left work, often bringing paperwork home with her.

It was probably the first time she had completely walked away from work in months. I honestly didn't know how she hadn't gone crazy. She was just so damn desperate to make it work and prove to Pops that she could do it.

"I'm just nipping to the toilets. I'll be back in a minute." She nodded in response and I headed off. Turning back around before I went inside and saw her already dancing with some random man. She might have wanted a wing woman, but she certainly didn't need one. She had an amazing way of making everyone around her feel happy. She always seemed to be able to cheer me up at least.

The toilets were crazy busy, and I had to queue to even get into them. I checked my phone quickly while I was waiting, but there was still no word from George. It seemed odd. It had been hours and he shouldn't have taken so long. When a hand fell on my shoulder, I turned, expecting to find that Aurora had decided to join me. Except it wasn't Aurora. The platinum blonde staring back at me was more glamorous than I ever could be. Her perfect curls put mine to shame, and she was at least three inches taller than me.

The only advantage I had was that I must have been about ten years younger than the woman facing me. I waited, expecting her to ask me if she could skip in front of me or something else toilet related.

"Emily?"

"Yes, do I know you?"

"No, but you know my husband."

"Who is your husband?" I half expected her to name one of the men from the warehouse. They were all quite a bit older than me and I had never met any of their other halves.

"Well, you know him pretty well, seeing as you have been sleeping with him." My mind instantly flew to George. How could it not? It couldn't be George. There was no way he would do such a thing. He was a good man and good men didn't cheat on their wives. I tried to reason with myself that it could still be one of the lads from work, and she was just mixed up.

"I'm not sure I understand."

"You have been f*****g my husband, George. While I've been stuck at home looking after our little girl, he has been swanning off with you. I know everything you have been up to. I have seen his messages."

"I... er... George... I didn't know." I didn't even know what I was meant to say. I felt like someone had completely broken me in two. Everything I thought I knew was wrong. I still couldn't quite believe what she was saying. I thought I knew George. I might not have known him long, but I thought I knew what kind of man he was. I had no idea how I could have been so wrong.

She was getting much more agitated, and it was drawing attention to the pair of us. I was suddenly so aware of being there alone amongst a load of complete strangers. It felt like the walls were closing in on me.

"Really? You had no idea?"

"No! He said you were his ex."

She flashed me her hand with a large solitaire diamond ring and a simple gold wedding band on it. "Does it look like I'm his ex? You little whores come over here and think you will find yourself a nice fit Italian man. Never mind the women you hurt in the process."

"She is so right," I heard someone else in the line say to a friend.

"I didn't know. This isn't my fault."

"It never is," shouted another onlooker. I felt like I was defending myself against a room full of people intent on taking me down. I wanted to get out but there were so many people surrounding me, I had no way out.

"He asked me to meet him here."

"Well, actually, that was me." She flashed me his phone, and I felt like such an i***t. She had set me up in order to confront me. "Such a silly young child, really, aren't you?" I wanted to argue that she was wrong, but it was exactly what I felt like. I was too broken to argue with her. Too weak to fight my own corner.

"I've got a little girl at home who is going to be heartbroken that you have broken up her family. All so you could hook yourself a good-looking doctor."

"You need to keep your mouth shut. Even if what you are saying is true, take it up with George. Emily never did anything wrong. He is the one that has been chasing her, not the other way around." Aurora seemed to have come out of nowhere, and I had never been so glad to see her. I might not have been strong enough to deal with George's wife, but Aurora was.

"Well, that's not what the staff at the hospital say. Apparently, she's a cheap little w***e who likes to chase him around the hospital, begging for him to be with her."

"You need to keep your mouth shut before I shut it for you. Emily, come on, it's time we leave."

"You've got something right. That little skank needs to leave. Leave the country and leave my husband alone." Aurora had hold of my wrist so tight that it pinched at my skin. She was pulling me along with her and soon we were outside in the stark, cold air of the night.

"Are you alright? You're as white as a sheet." She pulled me into her and the physical contact was enough to tip me over the edge. I stood there in the car park sobbing loudly. It had all happened so fast. I had gone from being so happy to feeling so low and worthless. My brain was struggling to catch up with the events of the evening.

"I just want to go home."

"Jump in and we will head straight there." The trouble was, I didn't mean the vineyard. Italy felt like nothing but foreign soil anymore.