I shake my head. “There haven’t been any pictures for over a year. And when there were, they were PR setups, nothing more. And jewelry? There’s only one woman I’ve ever given jewelry to.” I slide the ring off my right ring finger and hold it up between us. “She gave it back.”
Catarina leans closer, eyes sharp. “Look me in the eye and tell me that woman has never had your cock in her mouth.”
Her bluntness would almost be funny if I weren’t so tired. I meet her gaze without flinching.
“Assuming you are talking about Una and excusing what even I know is a complete lack of boundaries, I can tell you unequivocally that Una has never once touched me in an unprofessional manner. And I have never touched her, period.”
I pause, then lift a finger. “That’s not entirely true. Once, when we were discussing my need for a PR-forward fake relationship, she touched my arm and asked if I wanted her to play the part.”
“The part of your girlfriend?” Catarina scoffs.
“Exactly. I told her that if she ever touched me again, she was fired. She didn’t.”
Catarina crosses her arms, tapping her heel against the pavement. “Are you aware she was sleeping with Antonio Abbiati while Giovanna was in a relationship with him?”
I exhale sharply. “I wouldn’t call it what was happening between Antonio and Giovanna a relationship, but yes. I know. I intend to handle it.”
She tilts her head, assessing me. “How do you plan on doing that, Tommy?”
“I’m not sure why that’s your concern,” I say, “but Una will be fired. To be fair, she would’ve been fired anyway. Giovanna doesn’t want her around, and there’s nothing I won’t do to make her happy.”
That gets Catarina’s attention. Her posture softens, and she studies me for a long moment.
“My daughter says you don’t know how to lie. I didn’t think that was possible for a man, but…I think I might believe her.”
She looks away, jaw flexing, something icy and unreadable on her face. When she looks back, she’s wearing a practiced smile I know too well. Gi wears the same one when she’s pretending she’s fine but far from it.
“So you never ordered the jewelry, huh?” she says lightly. “How would you feel if I told you your assistant’s been sending gifts in your name to hundreds of women all over Manhattan for years now?”
The words land like a punch to the gut. “What?”
“She’s been ordering them through Luminous,” Catarina says flatly. “Lorenzo told me every time it happened. Every. Single. Time.”
My jaw locks. “Why would he do that?”
Her expression hardens. “Because he wants me to hate you as much as he does.”
I hold her stare. “And you don’t?”
“I do not.”
“Why not?”
She hesitates. “Because I see you for what you are. I see how much you loved her—”
“Love,” I correct her quietly.
She blinks. “Pardon?”
“Not loved.Love. I love her. I’ve loved her since I met her. I’ve never stopped.” I slide my ring back on my right ring finger. “She’s the only one. She always will be.”
Her expression softens. “You mean that literally, don’t you?”
I say nothing. I don’t have to.
She exhales. “Yes. I see that now. That’s why I don’t hate you.” She looks off in the distance, then back at me with a sigh. “You were a shitty boyfriend, though.”
I huff, a sound between a laugh and a grunt, hoping it covers my guilt. “I’m aware.”
