The Hamilton Charm

Chapter 32

The sun shone through the blinds creating shadows in the room. A shaft of light flickered across my eyes. I closed my eyes tightly trying to remain asleep for longer, but it was futile. I sighed and slowly blinked my eyes open. I arched my back until I heard the satisfying crack of my back as I stretched. I threw my arms down on the mattress with a huff and gazed up at the ceiling. My fingers slowly trailed up and down the silk sheets...wait silk sheets! I quickly sat up in the bed; my eyes wide with shock and fright. I peeked down to see that I was no longer in my own clothes but an oversized shirt. It had to be a man's. I was thankfully still wearing underwear.

I finally took in the room around me and it was definitely not mine. The walls were a warm cream and the ceilings were high. The room was sparsely decorated with two dressers, a corner wardrobe, a dressing table and the large bed that I currently resided on. It was a large mahogany bed; the sheets were crumpled around me. I reached over to the spot beside me...it was still warm.

I glanced to the right and noticed the light cream curtains blowing softly into the room due to the wind. The blind blocked my view of what lay outside. I swung my legs over the side of the bed. My feet sunk into the plush carpet and I tiptoed my way over to the window. I pulled on the string and the blind moved away. I was definitely not in Pierre’s villa. I could see vineyards that stretched for miles. The area was littered with workers picking the grapes and gathering them in wheelbarrows. The bright Tuscan sun beat down on them as they laboured away.

I moved away from the window when it finally hit me, I had no idea where I was! I knew that I had to get out of here. I turned on my heel searching for my phone. I spotted it on the dresser and raced over to grab it. I didn’t care about stealth now. I needed to call Callie. I grabbed my phone to see that I had little battery left. My elbow hit off something and it smashed on the ground.

I glanced down to see a photo frame laying face down on the ground with glass littered around it. I discarded my phone for the moment and bent down to pick it up. I turned it over in my hand and gasped. I quickly realised where I was. I wasn’t in just a random stranger’s house; I was in Iver Hamilton’s!

 I peeked down at the picture once again. It was a picture of Iver kissing what appeared to be his grandmother on the cheek. She was grinning little a mad woman with a party hat on her head. Iver was smiling through his kiss. It was so strange to see him like this, he was always to serious with me.

I gazed up from the photo and it was then that I noticed all the other pictures. Each one was presented in a beautiful wooden frame. Some were of him with his family and others with his friends. The one that struck me the most was the picture of him with what appeared to be his nephew. He was grinning as he held the baby in the air. His bright teeth shone as he smiled and his cerulean eyes were focused on his gleeful nephew. The child has his arms spread out as he giggled.

It was the cutest picture ever and my heart tugged as I stared mesmerised at the picture. It just reminded me of how it could be. It was teasing me, making me want to tell Iver. I wanted my child to have a loving father, one that I never had. A father that would cherish his child...No I had to stop with these ridiculous fantasies. It would never happen.

A glint of light caught my eye. It was then that I observed the frame that was towards the back. The gold filigree on the frame had caught my attention. I reached for it and grasped it in my hand, pulling it towards me. It was a picture of...me. I was leaning against the Trevi Fountain. I was gazing into its depths and watching the ripples in the water. My hair was fluttering around me in the wind. I sucked in a breath, I hadn’t even realised that he had taken this. It was from our trip to Rome. I could feel my eyes stinging as tears began to well in my eyes.