Chapter 6

Vittore froze completely, the hand holding the ring stiffening as color drained from his face in an instant. "What… What did you say?"

"We go to the same college. He studies architecture," I continued, still in that calm, factual tone. "Before every date, he checks restaurant menus and appraisals for me. He remembers what I don't like to eat.

"When I stay up late rushing paintings, he brews coffee and leaves it outside my door without saying anything. He doesn't make me wait or lie to me.

"And he never forces me to choose between my wellbeing and the famiglia."

I paused, met his gaze, and finally said the words I'd been carrying inside me. "I feel safe when I'm with him. But in the six years I spent with you, Vittore, I never went a single day without worrying about what I might lose next."

Vittore opened his mouth, but no words came out. The platinum ring slipped from his trembling fingers and hit the ground with a sharp clink.

Lifting my umbrella, I held it over his head, shiel