I’d had a fleeting thought as I looked around his apartment earlier:
I could get used to this.
The level of beauty and luxury he lived in was far beyond anything I could afford.
Not only that, but I saw what Bianca had.
Her own store.
Money.
A powerful husband.
And Ilikedher. I liked her a lot!
I liked Lucia, too – and Mei-ling, even though I’d only spent one afternoon with her.
All wives ofmafiosos…
All women who could have whatever they wanted.
But what had they done – what had they given up – to get it?
I wasn’t religious. My family had only gone to church on major holidays. Christmas and Easter, mostly.
But I remembered certain Bible verses that our priest in Milan had quoted. His impassioned sermons had made a big impression on me at a very young age.
The words that kept reverberating in my mind right now were,What shall it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?
Had Bianca, Lucia, and Mei-ling traded away a part of their souls for what they had?
Had Giorgio traded away a part of his?
And was I really considering doing the same?
For a man I was in love with, yes –
But was that enough?
I truly believed Giorgio was a good man.
I wouldn’t have fallen in love with him otherwise.
…right?I asked silently.
There was no answer except the soft sound of his breathing next to me.
PART VII
The Night of October 23
This Year
Naples, Italy
66
Cesare Caproni
