A'S

top hearing

knows abo

the way back to the apartment. They were there when I showered, when I

new abo

us, photograph us, and slide that p

om him at dinner and li

pillow beside me. Noah

ay? You seemed d

, please t

over tomorrow if

to my chest and sq

stand outside my door, smiling that familiar sm

t keep lying

rved th

im meant watching

-

et Noah at the little p

noodles on a bench beneath the old oak tree, argued about which of us would be the first to

park looked

oy chased pigeons near the fountain while his mother wa

fe continue

ould laugh when my own

. He wore a grey hoodie and jeans, his dark hair falli

noticed

mile

s happ

d in fro

we

er

eas

beside him, leaving a few inches between us. The distance felt ridiculo

my fingers

tell you

ka

know how

tart an

d at th

orced to mar

le

oah watched it for a second as if he hadn

ha

someone." My voice cracke

quickly that th

t, he just

he la

y sound that had noth

er his face. "Is this some kind of

sh it

ack. His eyes searched mine, desperate for an ex

is

ok my

e, don

you're going to marry another man, and I'm suppo

our voi

me as if I'

ly regrette

e. You don't

lp me un

roke on the

y. The movement was small, barely a s

to understand what marriage meant," I said. "There's a debt. A blood

mouth f

promised yo

odd

just going

nk I wan

should tell him

laugh e

hat wouldn't g

ent

s hung b

into the truth, to explain everything carefully, but fear h

n again, slo

s he,

ok my

eas

something on

es

on

than m

n wh

ked a

listening. The Valenti family had eyes everywhere, and

red at m

ngerous,

allo

es

dange

bey because they're afraid of

jaw tig

er expects you

s I'd been holding bac

sor

oked

is time, he let me take it

you like this. I didn't want any of this to

ed back

it feel like

so painfully that

on't know ho

econds, neith

h stood

in

rist. "What do

ing to find out

h, d

tell me

can

l find ou

caught the sleeve of hi

that, he'll

t my fingers befor

let hi

oa

tch you disappear into someone else's life? Pretend

t you

s burst

in our direction. I lowered my voice,

ey followed us. They took pictures of us together. Someone p

ression

e follo

odd

trees. For the first time, he seemed to understand that thi

ad been w

ed our relationsh

tell me sooner?"

e I was

ce sof

sperately I'd been clinging to him. He took my han

look

ted m

ot a c

said yo

hed a tear from my cheek. "You're thinking that the best way

dn't a

t, and we b

d and pressed a ki

ing you go wi

filled

make promises

forehead rested against mine. "I

ieve him so bad

rning, and the man sitting at the head of

s, I let myself believe t

nto his arms, and I c

ed the man standing

el. He watched us embrace, waited until Noah press

ic

-

TE'

aph arrived

t, when Luca entered without knocking. He kne

his phone

ld see th

d at the

d against his chest, and his lips rested against her hair. One of her hands

e

ightened aro

he boy had dark hair, an ordinary face, and the relaxed posture of someo

ked ha

than to trus

is

rward to exami

een dating her for two years, ac

ye

the photog

mises, and dreams about a futur

d settled ben

w about the

em talking. She told him she's being forced to ma

he phon

lied

mained

r man existed. I hadn't believed her. Not completely. But I'd wante

had my

ittered beneath the night sky, its streets crowded with pe

f them

d to live with

appy," Luca s

ned m

ately str

observati

r observations

, bo

attention to t

kept her chin raised, answered my questions with just enough defiance to make the

ve found he

g the way her fingers had

frighten

o

kept people from mak

her crying in another ma

up the ph

hed what

hesit

n't you

turned to

al, but I knew him well enough to recognis

phone on

mething else yo

, b

oo

back to t

y, his friends, where he lives, where he studies.

becomes a

lection of my own

'll deal

and headed f

uc

sto

touch t

ows lifte

't plan

at you

ithout an

aring at the city while the

l would be enough to make his university problems disappear, his f

sn't what b

way Sera ha

one person in the wor

't lik

ted to know what it would take

hone

een. An incoming cal

pe

vehicle, boss. We can have

N

pa

os

im go

tomor

he photograph

him that she's not

ed th

e phone again and o

father as part of the marriage arr

the screen f

I c

-

A'S

ht, my ph

ed into after meeting Noah. I hadn't been able to sleep. Every time I cl

ched with

reen lit up

wn Nu

ly ign

phone r

nsw

el

, there was

slid through the sp

friend to stay

d turne

that

er silence a room with a single word, and seen the

an

ou recognis

y that my knee struc

you get m

t you're wo

do you

you understa

the phon

t you're forcing

wo weeks. You haven't yet understood what ha

't your b

ped before I c

le

rt ham

again, his voice

concerns you is m

llowe

on't o

t y

mach t

ried and completely

decisions have consequences. Tell y

if I

phone. I couldn't tell whether

have to speak

ave him

ed, and I hate

't answer

poke, the words w

who doesn

all e

middle of my bedroom,

an to th

e so quickly that the fab

eath the streetlamp

lights w

see a small orange glow near the passenger window

chi

caught in

e glass, my phone slip

ghtened as the pers

it

ldn't

to my ear, though the ca

ew where

where No

issed, and where we went when we

d locked the door, even though I

calle

fourth ring, his vo

What's

ed my

ng ca

er

r my mouth, trying to

nted to beg him to forget me, to leav

lready imagin

ng you go wit

cigarette glo

told me about the blood pact, I understoo

ait until the weddin

there was nothing left o

g the bo