Page 103 of Forgive Me, Father

I hated being awayfrom Alfonso.

The moment he left my side, the world felt dull.Empty.The laughter around the table faded into background noise.Everyone spoke rapid Italian—beautiful, yes, but isolating.I didn’t belong in their words.And if I quietly slipped away, no one would even notice.

So, I did.

I took my glass of wine and wandered toward the hill that overlooked the sea.The sun danced over the waves like scattered diamonds, and the sky was the kind of blue that made you forget anything ugly ever existed.For a second, I let myself breathe.

Then I felt it—a presence at my side.

My heart leapt, foolishly hoping it was Alfonso, drawn to me like always.But when I turned, it wasn’t him.It was the man I’d seen on the yacht with Loretta and Fiona.Dark hair, golden sun-kissed skin, handsome in a forgettable sort of way, with eyes that hinted at too much knowledge.

“My name’s Luigi,” he said with a crooked smile.“Your husband is my cousin.”

There was a pause, a weight to his words, and then: “He scares the hell out of me.So, here’s to you for marrying the bastard.”

He lifted his beer and clinked it against my wine glass.

I raised a brow but didn’t look away.

“Cheers,” I murmured, my voice cool, letting the sea breeze tousle a few strands of my hair.“If it makes you feel better, he scares me too.”

That earned me a real grin, wide, dimpled, boyish.

Luigi didn’t look like an enforcer or a cousin from a mafia dynasty.He was softer than the others, rounder in the face and midsection, and there was a graceful tilt to his posture that confirmed what I already suspected.He didn’t exactly fit the Pontisello mold of brooding, muscle-bound menace.

“Are the two of you okay?After that little incident?”

His tone was casual, but I caught the subtle flick of curiosity behind his words.He was fishing—for someone else.Simi,maybe?

I kept my expression gentle, but my answer was deliberate.“We’re more than okay,” I said, sipping my wine.“And I’m not going anywhere.”

Another flash of dimples.He lifted his beer in approval before taking a sip, eyes still on me.

“I’m glad,” he said.“Glad you didn’t buy into Simi’s nonsense.She really believed Alfonso would see the error of his ways, annul your contract, and come crawling back on his knees.”

I laughed softly.“Poor Simi.”

Luigi laughed too, a warm, genuine sound that made him feel like the first real person I’d spoken to all day.“You, Camilla, are a breath of fresh air.Unfortunately, I have a feeling that’s exactly the kind of thing my thick-skulled cousin’s going to break.”

I huffed as the silence stretched.We both admired the view as the soft breeze blew gently through my hair.

“So, have you met everyone yet?”Luigi asked, his tone light.He gestured for a walk and held out his arm for me.

“Half through my husband and half through Paulo,” I said, hooking my arm through his with ease.His body relaxed beside mine, as we walked along the side of the hill.

“Ah,” he nodded knowingly.“Then I guess no official introductions were needed.”

“Only through his commentary,” I said with a soft laugh.“I met Maggie—briefly—and her boys.IthinkI also met his aunt…”

“Mavis.”

“Yes, that’s her.Apparently, she’s always up in arms about your grandmother vanishing for a year, only to resurface days before her birthday like it’s perfectly normal.”

Luigi threw his head back and laughed.“Yeah, we still haven’t figured out how she pulls it off every single time.No trail.No witnesses.”

“She’s eighty-two.I’m sure by now she knows how to disappear.”I smirked.

He grinned, then leaned closer.“My money’s on Roberto helping her.He has that look—you know, the type who secretly grants her every wild request.”