CHAPTER 30

          What followed was what she supposed could be called a period of adjustment, where they both tried hard to make this new beginning work for them. They were quite successful at it too, aided by the fact that Guido left the house only a few days after Alessandro had returned. He had been booked into an exclusive clinic in Switzerland, where he was to undergo some valve replacement surgery.

“Is it dangerous?” she'd asked Alessandro when he'd told her about the operation.

          He'd grimaced.

“It may help to ease his next few months,” was all he'd said, forcing Hailee to acknowledge just how very ill Guido was.

“Are you going to stay with him?”

“No.”

          Alessandro had smiled at the very idea.

“His pride won’t allow me such libe