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He doesn’t touch his.

I take a few licks, then say, “You can cry when you’re with me. I won’t tell anyone.”

His mouth quirks at the edge. “Grown men don’t cry.”

I tilt my head, watching his lashes flutter. “I know. But you want to.”

His eyes are red now, not just from grief—but shame, maybe. His nose runs, and he wipes it roughly with the back of his hand.

“I used to love her,” he says eventually. “The woman at the store. Tiana.”

My ice cream melts a little too quickly down my fingers. I whisper, “Why did she leave?”

He exhales through his teeth, shaking his head. “Same reason my brother has an ankle strap on you. We aren’t good men.”

I don’t think before saying it. “I think you’re good.”

It’s not a lie… not exactly. But it doesn’t feel like the whole truth either.

Enzo laughs—quiet, bitter. “Then why do you look so scared of me?”

Because I don’t know how to tell when the devil is smiling.

“My friend Bea says love finds everyone eventually,” I say instead. “She’s always right.”

He glances at me, softer now. “Well, let’s hope she is... or I’m fucked.”

I try not to react to the curse, but I feel my mouth tighten slightly. My eyes flick away like they’ve been stung.

We sit, the last of the cones disappearing. The ache in his shoulders doesn’t lift, but it softens somehow. When he stands, I follow, brushing crumbs from my lap.

We return to the car. I slide into the passenger seat, the door clicking shut beside me.

That’s when I see it. In the rearview mirror, there is a man.

He’s standing across the narrow street, too still to be casual. Dressed in dark clothes, half-hidden behind a car. His face is partly shadowed, but he’s staring straight at us—at me. I’ve seen him before, at my home, many times.

I don’t speak. My hand trembles on my thigh. I lower my eyes, tuck my hair behind my ear, and try not to move too much.

Enzo starts the engine. I keep my eyes forward.

But inside, my chest has gone cold.

And somehow, I know—

He was watching me. Just me.

Chapter Fifteen - Vieri

I lean into the iron balcony rail, the city sprawled out below like prey. Smoke curls from the cigarette in my hand, heat kissing my lips before I blow it out.

Behind me, footsteps echo.

Enzo steps into view, arms folded as he stops beside me.

I tap ash from my cigarette and finally glance at him. “How did it go?”

His sigh stretches longer than I’d like.