Life After The Villa

19. Two Broken Hearts

Violetta's Grandma's Point Of View.

I walk into her room with a mug of hot chocolate in one hand and a bowl of ice cream in the other. "Violetta." I say, getting her attention. She looks up at me and I can see that she's been crying. "That bad, huh?" I ask, sitting down next to her on the bed. "It's been two weeks, sweetheart, I think it's time you tell me what happened."

"I think I'm going to need more of this." She says, taking the hot chocolate out of my hand and taking a sip. She's always been like this, always trying to hide how hurt she truly is, not wanting anyone to see her as weak in any way. So she makes jokes to try to hide it. And I get why she does it, but I wish she didn't. I wish she'd just tell me exactly what's wrong so that I can help her. I just want to see her happy again.

"There's plenty more where that came from, don't you worry." I tell her with a soft smile, hoping she'll actually tell me what's wrong.

"I hurt him, Nonna." She finally says, "I really hurt him. I've never seen him like that before. He begged me to stay and I left anyway, I left him broken and on his own. He'll never forgive me."

"Of course he'll forgive you, he loves you." I remind her. If I've learnt anything through my forty years of marriage before my husband died, it's that you can get through anything and everything if you just remember how much you love each other. "But that's not the problem, is it?"

She shakes her head slowly, defeated. And takes another sip of her drink before replying. "He thought I was cheating on him. With Taylor of all people." I know she's expecting a response but I don't say anything, because I know it will urge her to carry on explaining what happened. And what she needs right now is to get everything out there and off her chest. "So when he accused me of that it wasn't just him saying that he didn't trust me, it was like he was also calling me a terrible friend. And he has no right to say that to me, especially because he-"

But she stops all of a sudden, cutting herself off. "He what?" I ask, but she doesn't say anything. "What did he do, Violetta?"

She sighs before replying, "he might have slept with his ex-girlfriend, Hayley." I'm about to question her on the phrase 'might have' but she continues before I have the chance, knowing what I was about to say. "He doesn't know, he was so drunk that he can't remember. But I stayed with him after he told me, trusting that he wont do it again but then he turns around and tells me that he can't trust me because of my friendship with Taylor? It's insane."

I take a moment to process the information, hanging on every word. "He told you this himself?" I finally ask, "that he may or may not have slept with this Hayley girl?"

"Yeah, he told me the next morning as soon as he got home." She explains, not understanding why I'm asking this at all.

"Violetta, don't you see it?" I ask her, but she just sits there in silence, waiting for me to continue. "If he had something to hide he wouldn't have told you at all, you never would have found out about it anyway so why do you think he told you? It's because he does trust you. And from everything I've heard this morning and from the way I've seen you act with Taylor these past few weeks, I'd say James has every right to be angry."

"What?" She says, clearly frustrated, "Nonna, you don't understand-" She starts, but I interrupt her.

"Put yourself in his shoes, darling." I tell her calmly. "How would you feel if you saw someone you thought was a good friend of yours growing closer and closer with the person you're so in love with? And then you come back from a work trip, that you had no choice but to go on, to see that same person living in your house whilst you've been away. And on top of that, your supposed friend starts doing all the things that used to classify you as the parent of your unborn children, he doesn't feel like a father, Violetta. He's already raising one child that isn't his, don't carry on making him feel like he's not a father to these two little ones aswell."

What I would give to hear the thoughts going through her head right now. I know that this is the type of pain even I can't fix. And I know she's going to be hurting for a long time yet, but I also know that I've helped her look at things from a wider perspective. That she's not the only person in the world. "Go to him, Violetta. If not to forgive him then at least to talk things out. Hear his side of the story this time."

"I can't." she starts, her eyes watering. "I have to pick Sofia up from school in an hour."

"I'll do it." I tell her, tired of her excuses. "Now tell that poor boy that you love him. I'm not going to stand around and let you lose a boy that would do anything for you." I take her hand and drag her out of her bed. "Now go." I say, pushing her out of the door.

"Thank you, Nonna." She mouths to me before turning away and walking down the hallway, ready to chase after the man I know she's destined to be with.

~*~

James' Point Of View

"Well would you look at that," I hear my mum say as she walks into the living room. "James is yet again moping around feeling sorry for himself, I should have known."

"Don't you think I have a good reason to be upset?" I ask rhetorically, but I don't think she caught on to the rhetorical nature of my question.

"No." She says bluntly, taking a seat next to me. "It's been two weeks James. It's time to get over yourself, swallow your pride and talk to her."

"She said she needed space." I tell her, trying my best to think of any good excuse to put off talking to Violetta.

"I'm sure she didn't mean forever." My mum replies calmly, and the words stick in my mind like I was destined to hear them. "She's probably desperate to see you, James. She's probably just too scared because she thinks you'll start shouting at her again. She doesn't want to get hurt, James."

"She's the one that hurt me." I tell her sternly, hoping that she'll listen. "It was difficult enough watching Dougie fall for her. But now Taylor is too. It's like I'm losing all my friends and my girlfriend too. I know she's amazing, I know she's the most perfect girl in the world but that doesn't mean I'm ready to stand around and watch as every guy I know falls at her feet." I take a deep breath before saying the next part. "Maybe I was tired of waiting for the day to come where she realises that she could have any guy she wants and that maybe I'm not good enough for her."

My mum puts her arm round my shoulder in an attempt to comfort me. "James, since you've been with Violetta I've seen you transform into the best version of yourself. I was so worried when your dad died that you'd be alone and that your relationship would be with the company. And this past month you've gone back to the old you, only caring about work. Sometimes family comes first, and Violetta is your family now. You can't blame her for being upset that you weren't around, and you definitely can't blame her for wanting someone else near her to help with the pregnancy whilst you were absent."

"But mum-" I start, not thinking that she understands the extent of the situation. But she interrupts me.

"No buts." She instructs, "I just have two questions. Do you love her?"

"Of course I do, but-"

"What did I say about the word but?" She interrupts yet again. "Now my second question; do you want to make this work?"

"It's not that simple." I tell her, feeling the tears start to well up in my eyes and my throat starting to go dry.

"It's always that simple, James." She tells me, looking me dead in the eyes. "The only thing that matters is how much you love her and how willing you are to fight for what the two of you have."

I think about this for a moment, I love Violetta more than anything in the world, and I would do anything to be with her again. So my choice is easy, and maybe my mum is right, maybe sometimes it is that simple. "Thank you, mum." I tell her before standing up and heading for the door. "I'm going to get her back."