I was standing on a patio of Villa D’Este with a cup of coffee in my hands. That early morning the whole Lake Como was covered with thick fog. I had a feeling that steam emanating from my coffee was a part of that fog, and that I was inhaling the fog, and the fog was smelling like coffee. Interesting mind tricks. I smirked; these hallucinations were no surprise since I had only slept one hour the previous night.
That’s where the wedding took place, the beautiful wedding of my sister and Nicholas, joyful, happy, and stylish! My sister was wearing a Zuhair Murad wedding gown. She was the most extraordinary bride ever, our pretty Victoria. Mom and I were crying, not even worried about our makeup. My tears fell onto my pink Valentino, but they were tears of happiness and pride for my sister. When my dad was walking her to the altar, no one uttered a word or even coughed. Everyone just stood up and watched Victoria in silence, stunned by her grace. It was quite a special moment; an incredibly beautiful bride was walking towards the altar exuding incredible happiness. Her eyes were sparkling, and she was only looking at Nicholas who couldn’t take his eyes off her.
The wedding ceremony was held at the Villa D’Este garden. Victoria and Nicholas had to wait for almost a year for their booking to be confirmed, to get married on that summer day in that ancient villa. It was hard to describe all the beauty and harmony of that place; Lake Como, the Villa itself, the fragrant gardens and parks surrounding it. The place just radiated romance.
After the ceremony, a sophisticated dinner awaited us, prepared by a famous Italian chef. More touching toasts were made. Everyone arrived prepared and did their absolute best. My beloved Dad made a toast and made Mom and I cry again. He confessed that every time Mom was pregnant, he was hoping for a boy, but never regretted having two girls. He said that loving daughters is special, tender, and emotional, that Vicky and I changed his life for the better. We inspired his new achievements for the sake of the family, and now he acquired a son too! My Dad was happy that it was Nicholas, his right hand in the company. Then Mom made a beautiful speech about preserving love in a couple for many years, about patience, respect. While saying all that, she gave Vicky a meaningful look, and all the guests burst out laughing, since everyone knew that our cheerful kind Vicky had a temper, too.
And the wedding cake! It wasn’t just a baking masterpiece but also a true work of art. French pastry-chefs came to the Villa three days in advance to create that three-tier chef-d-oeuvre. Our newlyweds intended to cut it several times, but they just didn’t dare destroy such beauty. However, we didn’t regret cutting it later; it turned out to be delicious, the most tender almond sponge cake with wild strawberry and vanilla cream.
Then a lot of champagne followed, with dancing till dawn. I spent almost all my time with Diego. We had so much silly fun, since we were old friends, and it was easy for me to get along with him. Many years of successful career made him a different man; he became confident and quite interesting. I saw our cousins checking him out. However, he’s a man of stability. He tries to be discreet, but he always looks at only one girl, and I know it. Poor Diego. I hope he can forget Victoria and make some other girl very happy.
I only came back to my room at 5 am and fell straight into bed, still wearing my dress. The wedding was quite a success, I thought while falling asleep. I was sure I would stay in bed till at least noon.
I had pleasant dreams about my sister and I running along the sea, with our joyful pup Rocky following us. The sea was so bright blue, without any waves. I felt so happy and calm. I exclaimed, “Vicky and Rocky, let’s go for a swim already,” but then I turned my head and saw Alex sitting on the sand with his wife Irina next to him, still donning that black dress, like in that Portofino restaurant. He was staring at her with so much love, and she was glancing at me, laughing.
That’s when I woke up and quickly sat up in my bed as if waking up from a nightmare. She is not his wife, she is his ex. That was the first thought in my head.
I got up, drank some water, and took off my pink dress. Not a good idea to sleep in a Valentino dress, I told myself. Then I came back to bed and tried falling asleep again. But every time I closed my eyes, I would see the Russian with his ex at that restaurant in Portofino.
I realized that sleep was out of the question, went to the shower, and was standing there, in a warm stream of water, for a while. I had a massive headache and felt deep sadness, since at some point I had an impression Alex really liked me, and I believed that. Also, why on Earth did we even go to the seafront that evening in Portofino? Seeing them together at the restaurant truly hurt me, as well as his silent request to not come up. He made it crystal clear that he was there with his wife and didn’t want their talk interrupted. To me, it somehow came across as rude.
I put my jeans and t-shirt on and walked to the hotel terrace. Breakfast was already served. The whole Villa D’Este was taken over by Victoria and Nicholas’ wedding guests. Despite the early hours, some of them were already sitting downstairs.
I grabbed a cup of coffee and walked to the lake to get my thoughts in order. Except there was no need to, since it was a day for relaxation.
Suddenly I heard Mom’s voice. “Have a cup of coffee, at least.”
I turned around and saw my parents. “Why are you up so early?” I asked while giving them a kiss.
“Dad is flying home right away.” Mom sounded upset.
“Home? What happened with traveling all over Italy for a week?”
“Unfortunately, I can’t. The company is in trouble. A big trouble. Some major player started a rumor that the Alz Free approval is about to be revoked by the FDA.” It didn’t take any effort to figure out that Dad was livid.
“Why are they doing this? Who wants to harm us?” Mom asked in astonishment.
“It’s such a good medication, and we spent years testing it. We finally got the approval, and everything was going well. What kind of idiot started that nonsense? Lewis called me to say he is going to sell his share in ‘Roberts & Cain Pharmaceuticals’. In fact, we haven’t really gotten along lately. If he keeps his word, our stocks will tank.”
“Just buy his shares; you’ve been wanting to go separate ways for a while anyway,” advised Mom.
“I can’t do this; we don’t have two billion dollars available. And he is in a rush to sell, since he believes that gossip. I am off to Houston. If that lie becomes widely known, I will have to hold a press conference. I need Nicholas, now,” reacted Dad.
“Don’t ruin your daughter’s honeymoon! They are going to the Maldives today. Don’t let him know just yet. Don’t let anyone know for now. Maybe Lewis will change his mind. Maybe everything will sort itself out, while you are traveling! Don’t get so stressed out.”
“Dad, can I fly with you too?” I asked, unexpectedly even for myself.
I realized that I didn’t want to stay in Italy any longer. I was happy for my sister, and the wedding turned out to be simply unforgettable. But this time Italy hurt me, and I didn’t feel at peace there. I wanted to go home, pick up Rocky from the doggie hotel and get back to work. I just wanted to go back to my routine as soon as possible and forget Alex.
My parents were watching me in amazement. “Stay with me, Sophia! What’s the point? It’s so hot in Houston now. We can go to Florence first, then Milan, do a shopping spree…” Mom was trying to make me change my mind.
“I was also hoping you’d stay with Mom,” confessed Dad.
Mom glanced at me with suspicion. “Has something happened? You don’t seem like yourself.”
“No, Mommy, I am just sad that Vicky got married and we cannot remain as close as before. I do really want to go back to Houston.”
“Okay, we are leaving in half an hour,” said Dad.
“You know what, I am joining with you then. What am I to do here alone?” reacted Mom decisively. Dad and she never went on vacation separately, so that was to be expected.
“Great! I already started worrying that you would stay here without me and fall under a spell of some chivalrous Italian,” joked Dad. He was certainly not happy breaking his promise to Mom about traveling through Italy with her.
“Don’t worry. I have been under the spell of a workaholic American for quite a while now.” Mom got up from the table. “I’m going up to pack.”
