Page 113 of Ruin

“It doesn’t have to be. A necklace or a ring is definitely too grand, but something like a brooch, a bracelet, maybe a hair accessory. Think of it like you’re closing the door without slamming it.”

I shrug. “If that’s what it says, then fine. Take care of it. And do better in your vetting process going forward. No more weird invitations to Paris or women who touch me. At all. I hate that.”

She makes a note, and I let my head fall back against the seat. I hope there won’t be much fallout from tonight in terms of press. I don’t want negative photos for Donovan’s sake, and I don’t want Gi to see me happily talking to another woman either, though it’s not like it would be the first time for either one.

I wonder what Giovanna thinks when she sees these pictures. If she’s really with Antonio or someone else, she may pretend not to care, but my brain can’t stop replaying seeing her last New Year’s Eve. Everything about that interaction says she’s not over me. Right?

Whether she is or not, the truth is that no matter what it looks like in the papers—no matter what I’m forced into, no matter how many women storm away from me—the only one I want is her.

51

Giovanna

My phone buzzes, interrupting me watching a Christmas movie curled up on my couch, a moment of downtime that is rare for me and only possible because everything is shut down for winter break.

And immediately ruined by my father’s text.

Fifty pieces of jewelry, every single one to a

different women in the past few months.

Do you see what kind of man he is, Giovanna?

The text comes with at least a dozen screenshots of all the headlines and pictures I’ve been seeing this year. Tommy with a brunette hanging on his arm. Tommy with a leggy blonde at a fundraiser. A recent one with Tommy beside a diplomat’s daughter under the mistletoe, Christmas lights winking behind them.

Each headline cuts in its own way, knives sliding betweenmy ribs:

Demonio and Latest Flame Sparkle at Holiday Gala

Demonio: Eligible Bachelor or Serial Heartbreaker?

Demonio Keeps Us Guessing—Who Will Be Next?

I close the phone without responding and close my eyes. I get it: Tommy’s moved on. Even though he told me he would never let me go. Even though he said that even if I left him, he would never leave me.

It’s Christmas in a few days, almost a whole year since I saw Tommy in person, when he lied to me about texting me every day, and we ended up in the media when I slapped him at the New Year’s Eve gala.

I haven’t seen or heard from him since. Antonio, meanwhile, has been around constantly. He was probably the only one who was happy about the photos of me slapping Tommy, even though I left him at the gala.

My parents are encouraging me to stick with Antonio. Compared to Tommy, Antonio is safe and steady. But is that a good reason to go out with someone?

I call my mother, my chest tight. “Why do you like Antonio for me? And I don’t mean why do you like Antonio? I mean specifically, why do you like him for me?” I ask.

My mother considers the question. “I think you’d do well with someone who is there for you consistently, who is on your level in terms of emotional intelligence. He’s also a good fit for Luminous & Co., and he’s being groomed to take that over so he won’t be working directly for Aurelio for much longer. You have a great eye for design and trends, so the two of you together running a family business makes sense.”

“I don’t love him,” I admit. “I don’t know if I ever will.”

There’s a pause, then her soft sigh. “Do you remember,cara mia, when I said I once had a Tommy of my own?”

I swallow hard. “Yes.”

“It wasn’t your father.”

I scoff. “Shocker.”

“Don’t be rude, Giovanna. What I mean is it wasn’t the man you know now as your father. Lorenzo was my Tommy…before things changed. I was madly in love with him. I thought I would die without him. But politics… family… the life we live—sometimes love isn’t enough. Things changed. He changed. He was no longer the man I fell in love with.”

“So why did you marry him then, Mom?” I ask her, confused.