"No." How can she even think that? "I'm not angry with you."
Reaching out, I put my hand very carefully to the uninjured side of her face. I lean forward and kiss her, then pull back. She pulls in a deep breath, steadying herself.
"I lied to you," she says. "About the man at the gala."
"I know."
"I thought you might." She runs the edge of the bedsheet between her fingers. "Why didn't you say so?"
"Because I wanted you to tell me in your own time."
She's quiet for a moment, processing that. "His name is Marton Vida."
The name is unfamiliar. "Vida? Hungarian?"
"Yes."
"Tell me how you know him."
She looks at the ceiling. "My brother owed him money. A lot of it. The kind he couldn't pay back."
Her voice breaks. I put my hand on hers.
"You don't have to do this now."
She's been through a lot and I've waited this long for answers. Another day or two won't kill me.
"I do."
I wait while she composes herself. She can take as much time as she needs. I won’t press her.
"Vida's men came to my apartment. I was nineteen and I was alone. They told me they'd kill my brother and send me to a brothel if I didn't give them what they wanted." She draws in a shuddering breath. "They wanted Gabriele."
"So you gave him to them?"
"Yes. I arranged to meet him at the Taverna Regina and didn't show up."
The room is quiet. I don't move.
"Why didn't you go to Gabriele?" I ask. "Tell him what was happening."
"I was too scared. I didn't fully understand who Gabriele was, that he could help me. He was sweet, kind."
"You didn't realize there was a ruthless side to him."
She shakes her head. "I still have trouble believing he could kill someone. He's sensitive."
I get that. Gabriele presents one face to his enemies and the men under his command and an entirely different one to his loved ones. Given that Eliza was younger than him, he was probably even gentler with her.
"They told me they just wanted to frighten him. I was stupid to believe that."
"You weren't stupid. You didn't know how this world works."
She shakes her head and sinks back on her pillow. She closes her eyes and I think we're done here. Then she sits up again.
"There's something else, Adriano. Something I never told anyone. Something I tried to forget."
"What is it,cara?"
