“But you obviously know something,” she says. “Quit holding out on us.”
“Well…” Rafe glances at Michele, and the two of them share a smile. “She’s sweet, smart, pretty?—”
“You’re just listing off adjectives,” Mariella grumbles.
“È bellissima, she is!” Nonna interjects. “He’s been kissed by the Vitale fortune—one true, undying love.”
“Wait, you know about her, too?” Mariella frowns. “You’ve been keeping secrets, Nonna?”
Nonna shrugs, not bothered in the slightest. “My business. Not yours.”
“I’m disowning all of you.” Mariella sits back and takes a sip of her espresso.
More speculation over Romeo’s mystery girlfriend ensues, and I zone out, not wanting to hear about it. After an appropriate amount of time has passed and I don’t think it will be too obvious, I announce that I have to leave.
Nonna fusses over me, giving me a to-go package with some of my favorite desserts, and everyone else offers me their goodbyes before Abella joins me on the walk through the house.
“Are you okay?” she asks.
“I’m fine.”
It’s my default response in situations like this.
Abella sighs. “I knew he’d been sneaking off somewhere, but I didn’t know where.”
“How long has it been going on?”
“Since Angelo and I took our honeymoon, at least.”
“Oh.” I nod.
That means, apart from the other obvious reasons, like him having a girlfriend, he definitely couldn’t be Eros. We haven’t known each other that long, and he didn’t even come to see me until recently. So that means Romeo has been secretly dating someone for well over a year now.
That thought curdles in my stomach.
“It’s good.” I force the words out. “He should be happy.”
“And so should you,” she says softly.
I know she’s referring to this doomed marriage to Riccardo, and I need to address it, but I don’t have the bandwidth for that conversation right now.
“We’ll catch up later this week, okay? I’m tired, and I just want to go home and relax.”
“Alright.” She offers me a warm smile. “Text me when you get home, so I know you made it okay.”
21
ROMEO
[ENTRY 007] — INTRUSION ATTEMPT
> She smiled at me.
> Breach confirmed.
> Logic override requested.
> Denying request…instability rising.
