Page 51 of Broken Mafia Bride

She gives me a look. “I have two birds.”

I raise a hand in surrender. “Didn’t mean to pick favorites.”

Laughing, she gathers the kitten into her palms, and we start making our way back toward the house. “Any dinner requests?”

“You’re making dinner?” I ask with some amount of panic. I’ve eaten Caterina’s food before, or more accurately, I’ve gagged my way through a plate of her spaghetti, and I don’t ever want to have a repeat experience.

“Not you too,” she pouts. “I’m not that bad. Kids actuallylikemy cooking. I bet Noemi would love my mac and cheese.”

I let out a quiet breath, part laugh, part ache. “Let’s wait until she’s back before we test her resilience like that.”

Caterina falls silent for a beat, then turns to me, her voice soft but sure. “She’s coming back, Giulia. You’ll bring her home.”

My bottom lip begins to tremble. “It’s the same story every day. No leads, nobody’s talking. Nothing. It’s like she never existed, Caterina, and I—” I falter. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to bring the mood down.”

“Talk about her as much as you want,” she retorts. “And if you want, we won’t talk about her at all. I’m just here for you, Giulia. I can’t imagine what you’re going through.”

“I let them take her, and now I can’t even bring her home.”

“You’re trying your best.”

I snort out a humorless laugh. “I’m not doing anything at all. I’m just here, falling apart and trying too hard to hold the pieces together.”

“Giulia—”

“No,” I hold up a hand. “I don’t know if I want to talk about it anymore. Just distract me. Please.”

By then, we’ve gotten to the steps leading up to the front door of the house. We sit down on one of the stairs at the top, the sun sinking slowly on the horizon, casting Casa Bianca in an ambient glow.

“I like it here,” she says quietly. “I’ve lived at Casa Bianca for as long as I can remember. Not once have I wanted to be anywhere else.”

Caterina sets the kitten on her lap, absently stroking its fur. “I have Pepe here. I’ve loved him since I understood what love was. Even before Re Ombra suggested him, we were together in secret.” She smirks, but there’s something tender in her eyes. “Your grandfather would’ve had his head if he’d known.”

“But he didn’t,” I murmur, smiling faintly.

She exhales, gaze drifting toward the house. “This place… It’s home, Giulia. It holds all my pieces in one place. And even though sometimes it feels like my soul gets pulled thin…” Shetrails off, then looks back at me. “I wish you’d stay. Noemi would love it here.”

I raise my head to the sky, staring at the last streaks of sunlight. I’m envious of her because she knows all the answers. Her soul is whole, where it’s supposed to be. And then there’s me, with pieces of my soul scattered across the earth.

With my daughter and with the man I love.

The man I’ve never learned hownotto love. I don’t know if there’s any hope of all the pieces ever coming back together, but I have to believe I’ll find Noemi—and that we can be happy again. Or at least as happy as I can be, with my heart still bleeding out.

I shut my eyes and, just like seven-year-old me did on the drive away from that retreat all those years ago, I pray.

Not to be forgiven. Not to be redeemed.

Just to see her face again.

16

RAFFAELE

“How about that new Thai restaurant? Everyone keeps talking about it, and I hear their food is amazing,” Isabella says excitedly over the phone. “I can get us reservations for tonight—or we could just stay in and order something if you’d prefer.”

I pinch the bridge of my nose, trying to keep my irritation at bay. “Isa… don’t do this.”

“Do what?”