‘Well…’ Lily’s words dried up because she had no idea how to respond. Giovanni had seen love where there simply wasn’t any. Vito’s feelings for her were obviously the complete opposite of love—he’d made that plain enough. And, although she had once foolishly believed she was falling in love with him, now, after the awful things he’d said and the dreadful way he’d treated her, she’d be crazy to open her heart to him again.
‘You must fix it now,’ Giovanni said. ‘My grandson is a good man. But he is proud. He won’t make the first move.’
‘I’ll talk to him,’ Lily promised, because there was nothing else she could say.
Lily walked through the twisting maze of alleys, past the fabulous jewellery shops and Venetian trinket-stores, deep in thought.
Even her favourite gelateria, which she often stopped at on her way home, did not catch her attention. Even though she was hungry, and ice cream was one of her favourite foods, she didn’t feel like eating. She was thinking about the promise she’d made to Giovanni.
She was also thinking about her mother.
Living her life according to Reggie Morton’s rules had taken a terrible toll on Ellen. She’d lost her confidence and her independence. Finally she’d become so scared of life that she’d buried herself in project after project, which in turn had left her preoccupied and unable to have a proper relationship with her daughter.
That was what scared Lily the most. She loved her mother, and knew that she was loved in return, but Ellen hadn’t even realised that Lily was facing the biggest crisis of her life. There was no way that she was going to let her child grow up like she had—with no father, and with a mother who’d had her spirit eroded away to the point where she couldn’t communicate meaningfully with her daughter.
Lily had married Vito for the sake of her baby. Nothing had changed about that. But Vito still refused to acknowledge the baby and, if she didn’t do something to make him see the truth soon, before she knew it she’d be out on her own again with no further chance to talk to him.
She took a deep breath and steeled herself to have a proper conversation with Vito—whether he wanted to or not.
Vito was late home from the office that night. He opened the door of the bedroom quietly, expecting to see Lily lying still as a mouse in bed and pretending to be asleep. Instead he was surprised to see her sitting in a comfortable chair, reading one of her paperback books. She put the book aside and stood up immediately, automatically smoothing her hands down the lightweight fabric of her cappuccino-coloured dress.
‘We need to talk,’ she said, pushing her sleek blonde hair behind her and straightening her shoulders.
‘What about?’ Vito crossed the room without breaking his stride and tossed his jacket onto a chair.
‘About us,’ Lily said. ‘About our marriage.’
‘There’s no “us”,’ he said curtly.
‘But there is our baby,’ Lily said.
‘I thought you understood never to make that claim again.’ Vito reached up and tugged his silk tie off jerkily. He could feel his anger at her betrayal rising once more. ‘I won’t tell you again.’
‘Why won’t you give me a chance?’ She sounded calm, but Vito could see the colour warming her cheeks.
‘Because you betrayed me.’
‘When you proposed you said it was for the baby’s sake,’ she appealed to him. ‘But that was a lie. You know how horrible it was for me, always knowing my father didn’t want me. How can you do that to your own baby? It’s unforgivable.’
‘It’s not my baby,’ Vito grated.
The heartfelt emotion in her voice scratched down his nerves like nails on a chalkboard. She was the one who had done the unforgivable. Everything he had done was for his family—for his grandfather’s sake.
‘I don’t know what else to say to convince you.’ Lily stared at him, a feeling of helplessness suddenly looming up through her misery.
If she could never prove her innocence to him, what was the point of her staying in Venice? Had she made a mistake staying so long?
Should she give up the fight to make Vito realize he was the father of her baby, go back to London, and see if her old boss, Mike, would let her try out for that job? If only she hadn’t given up the opportunity when it had been available to her.
‘Don’t say anything,’ Vito said. He was studying her in return, and she could see the tension evident in every plane of his face. ‘I keep telling you that.’
‘I just wish there was something I could do to make you believe that I wasn’t unfaithful,’ she said. ‘If only I knew why you think you’re not the father…’
His blue eyes were cast into shadow by brows that were drawn low, but she saw a flash of emotion suddenly flare within them. Emotion so
raw it was as painful to witness as it must have been to feel. Then, as she stared up at him, a muscle started pulsing stubbornly beneath the dark stubble on his jawbone.
Without thinking she lifted her hand to touch his face.