Nonnina clicked her tongue and swatted the back of his head lightly. "Always with the dramatics. You kill family, you rot from the inside. That's the rule."
"He provokes me on purpose."
"Of course he does," she said, unfazed. "He's jealous and bored. Dangerous combination."
Luca stared at his plate without touching it. His appetite had vanished, replaced by the slow churn of thoughts he didn't like examining. His wife. Bianca. Julian's words hit too close to the bone, scraping at guilt Luca preferred to keep locked away. He had married out of duty, yes, but abandonment still left a stain.
And now there was another woman. One he'd bought. One he couldn't stop thinking about.
"You look distracted," Nonnina said gently, reading him like she always had.
"I'm fine." Luca picked up his fork at last, though his mind was far from the food. Veronica's fire flashed behind his eyes. The way she fought. The way she hated him.
