ella

disbelief. "Marry my brother? Bel

e just a childish tantrum he could soothe away. His touch felt li

said, my voice as cold as th

rate his thick skull. The color drained

or to Domenico's penthouse suite, the new home I had just moved into. My h

exts started

the door. We

mistake. Yo

give me a little more time with

t replying. Our turn would ne

marry. I asked Domenico's head of staff, an older, stern woman named Elena, about his prefere

f vintage cufflinks, simple platinum squares with a single, dark sap

pathetic scene. Giovanni was standing by the large trash receptacles near the

of worn paperbacks we were supposed to have read together. The matching mu

t, before telling the driver to continue to the main entrance. Th

looked flustered. "Bella. I was just... cleaning out some old stu

a weak, pa

, my voice light. "It's good to get rid

ng the bite in my words, but a fl

la! There you are. I was hoping you'd join us for dinner. Gio is taking me for hot

her eyes wide. "Do

Chicago," I replied calml

his brother's schedule? He quickly dismissed it, probably a

ed, grabbing my arm. "Let's al

wed her to pull me along, forced to sit in a car with the ma

Sofia, the one she loved, even though he had a notoriousl

y paler. Sweat beaded on his forehead. He kept reachin

dered a bowl of plain rice for him, made sure he had milk

just

id happily, completely oblivious to h

his lips tight with

moving subtly to his stomach. I kept my

vegetables into my bowl. "

im from this self-inflicted misery, just like I always did. But he couldn't ask, not in

For Sofia, he would swallow fire and smile through the pain. For me, he had only ever

tray of drinks stumbled near our t

happened