Serafina's giggle broke the silence. She walked up, swinging her hair, voice sweet but sharp. The thin gold bracelet on her right wrist caught the light as she gestured.
"Arianna, Marcello really dotes on you. He even prepared all this for your anniversary."
She pointed to a pile of gifts stacked in the corner. My eyes followed her hand and that's when I saw it. A wet patch, soaking into the fabric of the sofa beneath the gifts.
The smell. The mark. The truth.
So this was love? He really had sex with her right next to my anniversary presents?
The ache in my chest spread like fire, but I kept my lips shut.
Marcello, blind as ever, walked over with a velvet box. He opened it, lifted a bracelet, and clasped it gently around my wrist. His right hand brushed mine, and I felt the weight of his grandfather's silver ring, the old Don's signet, cold against my skin. "Happy anniversary, sweetheart. I set up a candlelit dinner for us. Just you and me."
I shivered and pulled back. "No. I don't feel well."
Every second near him felt like punishment.