Having checked her email, she scrolled idly through her social media, noting with some satisfaction that her latest post—a pretty and artistic shot she’d taken earlier of the villa’s lemon groves and the azure waters of the bay as a backdrop—had already racked up lots of activity.

She read a little way through some of the comments, before one in particular stopped her in her tracks.

The Sweet Life? That’s a joke, considering. Don’t you mean The FAKE Life?

Kim frowned.

Since the villa project had ramped up, lately she seemed to be getting some negative and downright nasty comments from people (although possibly even the same person using different identities, as online trolls often did).

Par for the course with social media, she knew, especially for an account with a following in the hundreds of thousands, and while Kim didn’t usually pay too much attention, she didn’t like the sound of this one.

The Fake Life...

It was unsettling, as it suggested something more sinister—personal, even—and because, in truth, it tapped into Kim’s own deeply held insecurities.

“Are you OK, bella?” Antonio asked, frowning as he came back out with a decanter of rich amber that he’d stolen from the villa’s freshly stocked kitchen.

“I’m...fine.”

He studied her face and then his brows furrowed slightly as he noticed her faraway expression. He set the whiskey down on the patio table.

“OK, maybe this is something that should be spirit-free,” he decided. He lowered himself onto the seat beside her, his knees pointed toward her. “Tell me what’s going on.”

Kim exhaled and looked out over the water. She wasn’t going to tell Antonio about the comments; not until she could get a proper handle on it all herself.

Not to mention that he didn’t really get social media, routinely joking that it was “not of his generation.”

“You asked me earlier about Gabriel...” she began, though the strain to get the words out was considerable.

Antonio didn’t interrupt. He sat quietly, his expression still, as he allowed her the time and comfort to say what she needed to.

“When I met Gabe, I really thought I’d hit the jackpot, that everything I’d ever dreamed about was actually happening. A kind, accomplished, wonderful man wanted me by his side and it had nothing to do with my parents. It was a bit surreal. He was so good to me, genuinely kind and caring. He understood my passion for what you, Emilia, and I had started. Eventually, he became my best friend.” Kim could feel sadness start to rise up as she spoke and her eyes began to sting.

“You are speaking in the past tense, bella. Did that change? Did he stop being good to you?” Antonio queried hesitantly, as he placed a comforting hand on top of hers.