Page 102 of Lovely Venom

“Hey.” Mariella pops her head in the door, glancing around the nursery. “Did I miss everything?”

“Sort of,” Sera answers apologetically. “It came together pretty quickly.”

“Well, that’s the price I pay for being a workaholic,” Mariella says. “But it looks beautiful.”

It really does. The room isn’t exactly what you’d expect in a typical nursery. The space is soft and calming, with all wood furniture, sage green curtains, and frames of preserved greenery decorating the walls. The paint is a neutral cream color, with the exception of one accent wall, which has a stunning mural of a black stag among the trees. It’s a theme significant to the island’s history, but more importantly, to Angelo. I’m not exactly sure what it means, but Abella mentioned that he credits the mysterious black stag for leading him back to her during the most tumultuous phase of their relationship.

Now, they’re paying homage to the creature by giving their son his soprannome of Il Cervo—the stag. It’s a Vitale tradition, where a symbolic animal is chosen for each child to represent their personal qualities. Usually, those names are decided after the baby is born, but in this case, they couldn’t imagine their first son being anything else.

During Abella’s pregnancies, I’ve learned that the Vitales have a lot of family heirlooms and traditions that get passed down. The rocking chair in this room is the same one Nonna Vitale used to rock her babies, after which it was passed down to her daughter-in-law, and now, Abella. There’s also a rosary that goes to the firstborn son of every patriarch, a signet ring with the Vitale crest, and a leather-bound book that includes the family history.

Being in this space reminds me how close the Vitale family really is, and in comparison, my own upbringing feels hollow.

After my mother died, I used to dream about getting adopted into a big family like this one. Families who’d eat together every week and gather for the holidays and look after each other. That’s exactly what the Vitales do. And even though they might squabble from time to time, their loyalty is unwavering.

It might seem like such a simple thing, but that’s all I ever really wanted. When I’m here, surrounded by the Vitales and my friends, it almost feels like a second home.

I hope I never lose that.

“Hey, you made it.” Abella wanders back into the room with Valentina trailing behind her.

“Looks like I missed all the fun, though,” Mariella replies.

“Not quite.” Abella smiles. “I did save one thing just for you.”

She walks to the cupboard and pulls out a framed print, handing it over to Mariella.

“Angelo already placed the mounting hardware,” Abella says. “But I thought you should do the honors, since you’re one of the OG’s.”

Mariella laughs, but as she studies the silhouettes of each symbolic Vitale animal, something in her softens. She’s not one to wear her emotions on her sleeve, but after our previous conversation, I suspect she’s reflecting on her own future.

Abella and Angelo are laying down roots, and everyone is genuinely so happy for them and their blossoming family. But it’s also a reminder how different the trajectories of our lives are.

“It’s beautiful,” Mariella says quietly. “I love it.”

We all watch as she hangs the print and takes a step back to examine it.

“Can you remind me who each of them belongs to?” Lucia asks. “I always forget.”

“Angelo is the lion, Romeo is the wolf, Rafe and Michele are the fox and the serpent, and I’m the nightingale,” Mariella explains. “Cristian is the raven.”

“Huh.” Lucia’s eyes flick to me, the wheels turning in her brain. “Interesting.”

“Yes, well, I’m starving,” Abella interjects. “Nonna has fed the guys already, so we have the dining table to ourselves. Should we go eat?”

A chorus of agreement follows, and ten minutes later, we’re sitting at the al fresco dining area with a feast fit for a king.

Nonna Vitale always outdoes herself, and I swear the woman lives to feed her family. But it makes her happy, and nobody’s going to argue with her about it—because they know better, and they all love her food.

Over the next hour, we eat and drink to our heart’s content, catching up on a variety of topics. The subject of interest today seems to be the Sterling’s yacht party that’s taking place this evening. The lingering question is whether Ares will show up to cause a stir over Mariella’s imaginary date.

Apparently, she’s deployed her best weapon against Ares, which is Romeo. He’s been busy creating fake identities of “suitors,” and the entire family is planting seeds about dates with different men.

From what I’ve heard, Ares has now shown up to three of these events, only to realize Mariella isn’t even there. And as much as I appreciate everything Ares has done for me, I have to admit, it is a little funny.

The man is obsessed, and Mariella has finally figured out how to beat him at his own game.

After a while, Angelo appears with Antonella, and she gets passed around the table as the men filter outside and gravitate toward the outdoor gym.