“A little bit,” she admitted, staring at the glass of wine she was holding. “But it’s not that, it’s time and space that’s given me the courage to say what I’ve been afraid to. I’m not a child. I’m a grown woman who knows what she wants and doesn’t, and I don’t want what you guys want for me. I don’t want to have to pay my dues so you can have your heart’s desire. I want my heart’s desire. I’m not the same as you and Daddy, always making deals and manipulating relationships for your own gain.”

The silence on the other end of the line spurred her on and soon Kim was saying things she never dreamed she would.

She unleashed it all, thirty years of misery in just a few minutes. Her heart was on a speedway but it didn’t matter. It felt good to say it, to let it all out for the first time in her life.

“So that’s it. I’m in Italy now and, to be honest, I’m not sure where I’m going next, but I’m going to take some time to find out who I am. I’m going to live my own life on my own terms. Not yours. I would truly love it if you could understand but I don’t expect you will. However, I would like you to respect my choice.”

“Are you finished?”

“Yes.”

“Fine. If this is what you feel and this is the choice that you’ve made, then I have no choice but to say this. Don’t come home, Kim. After what you’ve done to me and your father—embarrassed this family and shown such disrespect for everything we’ve done for you—there is nothing here for you anyway.”

Gloria disconnected then without another word, not even a goodbye.

Kim was hurt but not surprised. She was a little surprised, though, at the relief she felt.

The only impossible journey is the one you’ve never begun.

And she knew then that she’d be OK.

Chapter 36

Then

Kim took the bus from Positano down to Amalfi, in the hope that the journey might afford some great coastal views, but the bus was so packed the only view she got was that of a fellow passenger’s armpit.

She’d researched a couple of the more popular tourist sights beforehand and began now at the Cloister del Dolce Vita—which she thought was fitting given the name of the villa and her now increasingly popular social media account.

Choosing photographs for it had become an enjoyable pastime, and while Annie seemed to think Kim spent a lot of her time just lazing around, she was actually out and about in the town exploring some of Positano’s hidden-most corners and trying to compose interesting shots.