"You devious, deluded cow. I knew you couldn't leave well enough alone. You couldn't take your break up on the chin and move on like a normal person. You can't leave my boyfriend alone for one second because all you want is answers from him. Well, he may not want to give them to you but I sure as hell will. He dumped you. Get over it. He has. He doesn't love you, he loves me. He even loves me enough to allow me to be part of his empire when we're married and that is what true love is. He's moved on now. So do one. If you contact him again, I'll make it my mission to teach you a lesson you will never forget."
Nadia's evil voice is still ringing in my ears as I play the voicemail back for Luca. It's the very first one she left for me and we're talking way back before she and Luca broke up. Long before she found out she was pregnant. It still sends chills down my spine when I hear it. It did when Allison and I first heard it when we were sitting in my gran's living room, it did when I listened to it earlier today, and it still does even now.
You can hear the sinfulness in her voice. You can hear the vindictiveness in her tone as she tells me to get over my feelings because they aren't reciprocated. Even if you were to play this to a stranger, they'd be able to hear how nasty of a person Nadia is.
"I know we used that in court but we can use that with the new evi-" I stop mid-sentence as the office door opens with a small knock.
"Mr. Madden," Jones greets with a tight nod.
"Jones, I thought you were still on leave," Luca responds, standing up straight. "Carlo told me that you're not scheduled to be back until next week at the earliest."
I briefly look at Luca when he mentions where Jones has been. At least he wasn't fired for not fulfilling his duty that day. He's still got a job and I'm actually glad that he's been given some time off because he too has gone through a lot lately. It's something we can easily forget and we have forgotten that.
Jones has gone from protecting Luca, to protecting me which is a big deal because Luca wouldn't trust just anybody with that job. Add in being in a car chase, witnessing a car accident and not being able to save the person he's being paid to protect. They are things that can easily take its toll on you which it has with Jones. He's needed time away from his job and if I'm being honest, he's looking a lot better than he did the last time I saw him.
"I am but I wanted to come and speak to Miss. Fletcher." He doesn't look at me as he speaks my name. His head is bowed, hands are clasped and I know it's because he feels bad for not following through on his promise to protect me. "Miss. Fletcher, I would like to say to you that I'm sorry for not fulfilling my duties."
"It's fine, Jones." I assure.
"Now it is but I should have been watching over you that day. I should have been sitting outside waiting and I was until I had to move the car because I was parked up in a restricted area."
"That area being for residents only," I voice the unspoken meaning.
"Yes," he confirms, his gaze lifting to meet mine. "One of the neighbours had called the police about my car sitting parked up in the same place with me in it for a substantial amount of time. The police came and I had to move."
"Which is most likely when Terence took you out of Allison's flat and into his car," Luca sighs.
I frown and look back at the computer screen. The file from Nadia's latest voicemail to me is on the screen still to be played. I click 'play' and her voice begins to play through the speakers.
"Luca may have won the court case but this is far from over between us. If you think for a single moment that I won't get to you by one way or another, you're wrong. You may not use this phone anymore but I know you'll still have it. I know you'll pull this out of its box sooner or later and when you do, it'll be too late. I'll have gotten to you in a way that goes undetected by others and that will be the ultimate win."
I glance at Luca who is frowning and shaking his head at the message. I look back at the screen and at the date when the voicemail was sent which Allison has thankfully labelled. "Jones, when were you asked to move your car?"
"About ten-thirty on the Saturday night."
"Why is that relevant?" Luca asks.
I point to the screen at the date and time of the voicemail. "That voicemail I just played was sent to my old phone on the Friday night."
"Which Friday?"
"The Friday before I went to see Allison on the Saturday. Literally the day before everything happened." I look at Jones and the look on his face is a serious one. "I don't think it was one of Allison's neighbours who called the police for you to move your car. I think it was Terence."
Luca's hands fall onto the back of the chair and he leans in closer to me. "Are you saying he was watching Jones before removing you from the flat?"
"That's exactly what I'm saying. The only way he could get me out of that flat was to get rid of the security I had, meaning Jones. Nadia would have informed Terence of me having someone keeping an eye on me at all times, and with Jones sitting parked up outside . . ."
"He had to get rid of me to get away from the area with you without being spotted," Jones finishes.
"Perfect time to do so being at night when most are in bed, blinds and curtains drawn, and it's dark outside." Luca moves and picks up the phone on the desk. He dials a number and holds it to his ear. "Hi, I'm going to email you a couple of things and I want you to add them as evidence to the case . . . They are of great significance, yes . . . Thank you."
He puts the phone down and reaches for the keyboard. I move over to give him better access to the computer and watch him work. His eyes move quickly across the screen as he opens a new email to his lawyers, sending the same email to all three of them as well as his dad so they're all aware of what's happening. He types everything we've just worked out in the email, the facts we know and just came across and attaches the voicemails Nadia has sent me, both old and new. His eyes scan the email a couple of times before he sends it.
"And just like that, we have a bulletproof case against Nadia," Luca grins, looking at me.
I match his grin and rest my hand over his. "One that she can't try to turn in her favour."
"Not this time, no."
"I will leave the two of you to go about the rest of your day," Jones speaks up while walking to the door.
"Jones," Luca calls, "when you do start back, I will be supplying you with a new car. One that Carlo agrees is safer for a family to be driven around in."
Jones nods at Luca's information, clearly knowing what exactly Luca is talking about. "Of course, Mr. Madden." He nods to me. "Congratulations, Miss. Fletcher. Mr. Madden."
He leaves the room.
"Well, now that your detective work is done," Luca says, pulling my chair back so I can get up, "you are going back to rest for the remainder of the day." He helps me to stand and I place my hands on his chest. His hands move to my hips to help steady me. "Thanks to your disobedience, I have had to scrap my plans."
"Hmm, I kind of guessed they would be." I push at him and he moves back slightly. "Sorry about that."
"I should have known that you wouldn't listen to reason considering how long you've actually spent sitting about doing nothing."
I reach out for my crutches and Luca hands them to me, not bothering to put up an argument about me using them to get about. I place one under each and move around the desk with Luca in front of me. He opens the office door and waves a hand for me to leave the room first.
"And it is killing me not being at work," I complain as I take my time in moving out the room. "I'd be fine with sitting around doing nothing if I was back at work."
"I'm not having this conversation with you, Kaylee. Plus, I have told you that you could work-"
"I'm not going to work for you, Luca." I exclaim.
"It's only a suggestion," he defends.
"And if you think for a second that we are going to get Cheryl to plan our wedding, then there won't be a wedding to plan."
"I know."
"I mean it."
"I know you do."
"Your work events, fine. She can plan them. Family events in terms of birthday parties, anniversaries, special family events are all getting planned by me or someone from my work."
"Agreed."
It's not that I don't trust Cheryl. She's lovely to speak to and great at her job but I'm more than capable of planning my own family events. I'll know what I want when the times come and I already have contacts in all areas of event planning, so I'm sorted. If I do need help, I'll ask for it.
"Oh, that reminds me," I start, coming to a stop in the middle of the hall with a finger raised at Luca, "did you get me the wedding magazines I asked you to get me when I was in the hospital?"
"Were you wanting them now?" He asks with a puzzled look on his face.
"I do need to get some idea of what I want our wedding to be like."
"I'll get Lyla to go and get them as soon as you're settled in the living room." He places a hand at the base of my back and we continue walking to the living room.
"Thank you."
Luca's touch on my arm is light later that night. He's been gently running his fingers back and forth over my arms for the past hour since he came back from putting Louisa to bed. We haven't spoken since he returned to my side, choosing to watch the flames dance in the lit fire opposite the couch. For the first time in a while, everything feels peaceful and complete with us lying in each other's arms.
"Do you something, with everything that's been going on lately, I've almost forgotten that next month is Christmas," Luca mentions.
"Yeah," I agree, "time has gone by quickly."
Luca stops running his fingers up and down my arms and he breathes in deeply. "Hard to believe that it was only back in August that we came back into each other's lives. Now, look where we are."
"Me nursing a broken leg as well as cuts and bruises," I mutter.
He sniggers. "Minus them."
"I know."
"At the beginning of this year, all I could see myself doing was working and being with Louisa. I never saw having a relationship with someone being a part of it."
I look down at Luca's hands that have moved to absentmindedly sit on my belly with his fingers moving back and forth as he strokes the covered skin. I lay a hand on top of his and smile. "I wasn't looking for a relationship before you came back into my life. I was just going with the flow because my work kept me busy and kept my mind from wanting to think of having someone in my life."
"Never did I think that running late for a meeting would end with me finding the one person I had been so desperate to be with." He places a kiss to my temple and I snuggle back further into his hold. "The one person I should never have given up so easily."
My eyes drift closed and I nod. "Seems like we were both brought back together for a reason and at the right time."
"And now we have the rest of our lives to look forward to now we're together. No exes or crazy people allowed and there will be no stress over the court case, either, because we'll win that without trying."
"We will. Maybe a little bit of stress when the baby's born and when it comes to the wedding, but other than that there will only be happiness."
"It's only good things from this moment onwards."
I open my eyes and look at the fireplace with content. Only good things from now on is something I can fully agree to. After all the shit we've gone through, it's about time we got to be happy.