CHAPTER NINETEEN
The next morning, a bouquet of red roses was on the dining table, and even before I read the attached note, I knew it was from my grandparents.
Warmth filled my chest as I pictured my grandparents debating over the bouquet.
Grandmother had, no doubt, insisted on perfection, while Grandfather would grumble about the absence of baby news.
Could that change soon? Waiting to find out was stressful, but I knew taking a test without Rocco would wound him, so I would wait.
He’d left for the photoshoot before I woke up but hadn’t canceled our plans. What was so urgent last night? Would he tell me or keep it private?
I reached for my phone to text my thanks, but inspiration struck.
In one of the garment bags hung a navy crepe midi pencil dress, almost a twin to one of Grandmother’s favorite day dresses.
I slipped it on, added heels, and swept my hair into her signature loose chignon.
Ready for my little tribute, I found the perfect spot on the terrace overlooking Milan and approached Zane, who was waiting in the living room for Rocco.
He looked up, attentive. “Hello, Adelina. Do you need some help with something?”
I smiled. “Yes, thank you, I do. Can you please help me take a photo for my grandparents?”
“I’d be happy to.” He stood and followed me out onto the terrace.
I channeled Grandmother and the way she’d stand outside the entrance of our Westchester home and posed with a straight spine, head high, smiling.
The first image Zane took captured it perfectly, and I texted it to Grandmother along with a message.
Adelina: Thank you both for the beautiful flowers and well wishes. I’m going to the Duomo with Rocco and to see Leonardo da Vinci today.
Ding. My phone alerted me to an incoming text.
Grandmother: Good, go to Mass. Where did you get that photo of me?
I puzzled at her response, and my heart panged. Was Grandmother losing her memory? We finally had a chance to be close, something I had wanted since the day I met her, and time once again reminded me that it wouldn’t wait. Then again, I could be wrong. Still, I was careful in my response.
Adelina: No, Grandmother. That’s me today in Milan. I’m holding a rose from the bouquet you and Grandfather sent me.
Grandmother: I know I sent you the roses, but I swear I have the same photo of myself in my album.
I sighed in relief that it wasn’t her forgetting and messaged back.
Adelina: Really? I’d love to see it!
Grandmother: Hold on. I’ll send a copy.
Anticipation filled me as I waited for her response.
Zane’s phone sounded, and he looked at me when he answered. “Rocco’s a block away? Fine. I’ll help with security.” He ended his call. “Did you hear that?”
I smiled. “Couldn’t miss it.”
He laughed. “I’ll be right back.”
Ding. A new text arrived, revealing a photo of my grandmother outside a grand mansion.
Our resemblance was almost eerie: the same wide-set, navy-blue eyes framed by long brows and lashes, high cheekbones, and lips painted a deep, confident red, both of us wearing identical smiles.
Even our dresses and heels blurred the years between us.
It made me wonder if time was as unyielding as the North Star, holding us all in its orbit.
Grandmother: That’s the New York mayor’s house. I was twenty-three.
I blinked back tears and sent her a text.
Adelina: It looks like the same photo! I love it.
Grandmother: I do, too. Can you send me a copy I can frame here for our mantle? Your grandfather says you look like his mother, Tessa.
Reading my grandmother’s message, I felt a surge of emotion sweep through me. After all the shadows that haunted our family, knowing they saw themselves in me made me feel, finally, that I belonged.
Adelina: I’ll make sure to do so. Grandfather said I look like Tessa? Lorenzo Rossi said I look like her, too. He lived near her in Rome.
Grandmother: The Maestro Lorenzo Rossi? Yes, he did. Tessa called him the troublemaker, but now he sells out concert halls around the world. We’re off to golf. Enjoy your visit, light candles, and say prayers for all of us. We’ll be visiting Jacob during your next scheduled call.
Jacob had been busy, and we had rescheduled our call for later this week. I hoped to catch up on his gallery tour, and I also had another chance to see how my grandparents were doing after all the press and Mama’s separation from Glenn.
Adelina: Great. I’ll see you all then.
The elevator dinged, and footsteps echoed closer. My heart thudded as I rose, just in time to see Rocco enter, dressed in jeans, a hoodie, and sunglasses—a rare sight that made him almost unrecognizable.
“Incognito today?” I teased.
His lips spread into a smile. “Something like that.”
I took a step toward him, but he raised his hand, removing his sunglasses. Makeup from the photoshoot was still on his face, and as I knew from previous photoshoots, it usually covered parts of his body.
“I’m going to take a shower before we go.”
I nodded and folded my hands in front of me. “Yeah, okay. Uhm, how was it?”
“Good. My favorite photographer, Liv, got right down to business, and we finished close to time.”
“Yeah. That’s great. I’m sure they came out great…I can’t stop saying great.”
“I see,” he said. His eyes scanned over me with an amused expression. “You look lovely.”
“Thanks…thank you.” I shifted my stance. “So…?”
“I’m going to take a shower, then we’ll go.” He came close and gave my arm a gentle squeeze before walking off toward the bedroom. Still no kisses…but what do I deserve?
I let out a heavy sigh and distracted myself with more congratulations, even from professors and classmates I barely remembered.
Then I spotted a message from Mama titled “New Hair—Blonde Ambition.” Curiosity piqued, I opened it, and my jaw dropped.
She’d gone platinum-blonde and wore a fitted V-neck top that revealed more than I’d ever seen her show.
What was she thinking? Should I be worried?
There was nothing I could do about Mama now, so I tucked my phone away and smoothed my hair only to realize something was missing.
My charm bracelet. I remembered the way the diamonds caught the light and how the pearls glided over my skin.
Rocco had given it to me. A gift that seemed spontaneous but carried so much meaning in his words.
“…those diamonds and pearls are rare beauties born out of fire and fight. That’s you, Adelina. And that lock holding it is me. It means you’re mine, and you belong to me. Even far away, I have you. Our bond is soul-deep.”
Each time I fastened the bracelet, I was transported back to that moment. Rocco made me feel claimed by love, by promise, and now, I needed to find it again.
Checking my handbag, I turned up nothing. My mind attempted to retrace the last time I had seen it, but it went blank. Had I left it in the bedroom after I changed?
I returned to the bedroom, checked around the bed and closet, and still couldn’t find it.
The bathroom door was open, and the shower was still going.
I could wait until Rocco finished; however, I walked in.
It was impossible not to want to see him, and my gaze went straight to the walk-in shower.
Steam fogged the glass, but I could still see Rocco.
He stood with one hand on the wall and the other moving in front of him.
His head suddenly turned my way, but he didn’t stop stroking his dick.
My jaw dropped, and I spun around, fleeing the bedroom. I leaned against the door, breathless. It wasn’t as if I hadn’t seen him jerk off before, but my cheeks burned, and my stomach twisted with worry. Why would he do that? Did he not find me attractive anymore? Yet, he just called me lovely.
“Are you okay?” Zane walked up, studying me. I could see from his expression that he’d been briefed on my possible pregnancy. “You sick? Do you need to see a doctor? I’ll get Rocco—”
“No,” I said, shaking my head rapidly. “Please. I need some air. Do you think we can wait for Rocco in the car?”
Zane hesitated. I knew I’d have to tell him more, or he’d get Rocco, and I wasn’t ready to face him or talk about it yet.
“I’m not sick, I’m…I’m upset…with Rocco.” My face burned.
“Hmm.” His brow puckered, and he took out his phone and started texting. “I’ll let Rocco know I’m taking you down to the car.”
“Thank you,” I said, and sighed in relief, though I walked ahead of him to the elevator and pressed the button twice.
“Wait.” Zane left me and came back a few minutes later. “You forgot your sunglasses.”
I thanked him and put them on. The elevator door finally opened, and we climbed inside and started lowering.
“Did you hear me, Adelina?”
I realized he’d been speaking to me, and I had missed what he said. “I’m sorry, Zane. What did you say?”
“The press is downstairs, and they may ask you questions about whether you’ll see your father and your mother-in-law in Italy.”
I grimaced. “What? Here?”
“They’re in Rome, is what has been reported. We have security downstairs and outside. Two in front, me at your side. Try not to worry.”
My nails dug into the skin of my hand. My father in Italy couldn’t have been a coincidence. What did he want or think he could get? “Zane?”
“Yes?”
“Do you know if he’s lost his job as a judge?”
“Last update was that he’s on a leave of absence. I believe the governor told him to take leave rather than be dismissed. The situation is delicate, with elections coming this fall, but if Rocco wants him fired, he’s fired. It’s just not public.”
No governor would want to get involved in a scandal in an election year. Judge Colby had a legacy and powerful friends. However, Rocco had immense wealth and privilege, which seemed above the law.
“Thank you.” I adjusted my sunglasses, and two men in suits stepped up to Zane, one of whom took out a walkie-talkie before we all moved toward the exit. Sure enough, there were paparazzi outside the hotel, and some asked questions.