Italian Sunshine: He Called Her Bellissima

Kacey stared at her reflection in the mirror and winced. She couldn’t believe the woman staring back at her was—well—her. She looked absolutely terrible, and that was putting it lightly. Her once-beautiful, bright blonde hair—her pride and joy—was now a dirty, matted golden-brown blob. The dark circles under her eyes looked like they could scare the bejesus out of the devil himself. She turned away from the bathroom mirror and stepped back into her room, taking in the mess around her. How had she been living in this filth for the past two months? “Okay, Kace. Moping time is over,” she muttered to herself, rolling up her sleeves before beginning to pick up the clothes and pizza cartons littering the floor. Kacey quickly finished tidying up, then headed to the bathroom for a long, much-needed soak. She scrubbed the mess out of her tangled hair, letting the hot water wash away at least a little of the heaviness she’d been carrying. Later, sitting at her vanity mirror with a towel wrapped around her head, she looked at her reflection—and broke down. Tears streamed down her face before she could stop them. Life had been brutally unfair lately. Two months ago, she’d discovered that her boyfriend of five years—her first everything—had been cheating on her. Worse, he was already engaged to someone else and planning a wedding before the end of the year. The betrayal shattered her. Then, just weeks later, the company where she worked as an auditor announced a sudden merger. Half the staff were laid off—Kacey included. Just like that, everything she’d built was gone. No love. No job. No direction. Just this slump she couldn’t seem to crawl out of. She glanced at her phone lying on the vanity table. It had been off for two weeks. No texts. No calls. No social media. Nothing. She wasn’t ready. Not then. With a shaky breath, she turned it on. The screen lit up—immediately buzzing with missed calls and messages. Chloe’s name filled the top of the list. Her best friend had clearly been trying non-stop to reach her. So had a few other friends, probably worried after hearing about the breakup with Chad. Kacey stared at the screen, her thumb hovering. Then she tapped Chloe’s contact and raised the phone to her ear “b***h, start talking,” Chloe barked from the other end of the line. Kacey let out a shaky breath. “I’m so sorry, Chlo. I’ve been going through it these past few weeks. I didn’t even realize how bad it got.” Hearing her best friend’s voice after so long brought an unexpected wave of relief. “I was worried sick, Kace. And it didn’t help that none of our friends over there could reach you either. I was this close to hopping on a flight back to Seattle just to beat some sense into you.” That made Kacey laugh through her tears. Typical Chloe—dramatic threats wrapped in love. “It’s just been… a lot, Chlo,” she murmured. “Will you ever forgive me?” “Well,” Chloe replied, her tone softening, “I will—but only if you promise to come to Florida for a few weeks and clear your head. You need to get far, far away from all that negativity. Flight’s on me. Just say yes.” “I don’t know, Chlo…” Kacey hesitated. “I have to figure out what I’m going to do now that I’m out of a job, and—and—” Her voice broke. The tears came again. “Oh, baby,” Chloe said gently, her own voice tinged with pain. “I feel terrible I can’t be there for you right now. But think about it—you don’t have a job tying you down anymore. No family keeping you there either. Nothing’s holding you back. And don’t forget—you’ve always had a thing for pottery. Maybe it’s time to give it a real shot.” Kacey wiped at her eyes, her mind racing. She’d grown up in the foster system. No parents. No ties. Just temporary homes and trying to survive. A clean slate sounded like something she didn’t even realize she needed. “I’ll think about it, Chlo. I just need a little time to get my head right and wrap up a few things. But I’ll let you know.” They ended the call with Chloe making her swear to check in every day. Kacey promised. She then took a few minutes to reply to the messages from her other friends. The guilt still lingered, but the weight wasn’t as suffocating anymore. After getting dressed, Kacey slipped on her shoes and grabbed her keys. For the first time in weeks, she stepped outside—determined to take a long walk and finally breathe.