I was quiet and withdrawn for the rest of the day.
Dario was preoccupied with business. He didn’t ask me about my mood – if he even noticed.
But Niccolo did.
“What’s wrong?” the consigliere asked after pulling me aside.
“Nothing,” I mumbled.
“You’re not tired of being cooped up, are you? We can’t take you out again for a while, not after what happened in Florence.”
“I’m fine. I’m just… feeling down, that’s all.”
“Alright,” he said, still looking concerned. “Let me know if you need anything.”
Later in the morning, I went to the kitchen to see Caterina. If anyone could cheer me up, it would be her.
“Hey, Grumpy,” she said playfully. “Why so blue?”
I didn’t want to tell her what Filomena had said, but I did want to ask her some things.
“When we first met, you said all Rosolini men were dogs.”
She looked at me and put her hands on her hips angrily. “Did Don Rosolini cheat on you?!”
“No!” I said in shock.
“Oh,” she said with a confused look. “…then why did you ask?”
“I just wanted to know what you meant.”
She laughed. “What do you think I meant? All the Rosolini men are dogs. Pretty self-explanatory.”
“So everything that’s going on with you and Valentino…?”
She shrugged. “It’s fun, but come on – I know what it is. There aren’t any glass slippers at the end of the story.”
Her flippant manner made me feel even worse. “So… me and Dario…?”
“Oh, sweetie…” Caterina reached out and held my hands. “Enjoy it for what it is: banging a really hot, powerful man, and all that goes along with it.”
I was repulsed by her words.
“What, like being kept prisoner?” I asked bitterly.
She tilted her head to one side. “You’ve really fallen for him, haven’t you?”
I jerked my hands away from her. “No!”
“Then why are you so upset?”
“I’m not!”
“Could’ve fooled me.” She sighed and gave me a half-hearted smile. “Look, the story ends in one of two ways. Either we get tired and try to move on, and they let us or they don’t – because, let’s face it, these are men who don’t like being told ‘no.’
“Or they get tired and move on, no matter how we feel about it. And that’s that. So… carpe diem and all that bullshit. Seize the day. Enjoy what you’ve got while you’ve got it.”
I stared at her. “What about the future?”
“What about it?”
“What about getting married?”
Cat touched my cheek sadly. “When it happens… it won’t be to a Rosolini.”
