Page 132 of His Two Hidden Masks

I sampled the chocolates, enjoying the mix of flavors, the sweet with the salt, the fire with the cooling, dark cocoa. Every bite a combination that reminded me of a symphony of emotion that mirrored the complexity of life.

You never know what you are going to get when you bite into a beautiful chocolate. And for once, knowing that my life would be full of unknowns gave me with a sense of joy, instead of fear. I was ready to grow, even if that meant I wandered off the cobblestone paths of Venice.

By the end of the day, I had prepped enough boxes to meet the walk-in orders that Paolo promised to tourists. A line of people queued from the front desk into the campo, and when we ran out again, we took names and emails to notify people when we would be ready to ship more inventory.

It was overwhelming. The idea that I needed to come up with an operational plan for distributing my chocolates worldwide was exhilarating and terrifying. I loved it.

In a short while, I evolved from a depressed, scandalous, runaway bride to a married woman with a thriving business. Of course, there was still a bit of scandal, but I no longer cared what anyone thought of me. I felt free and alive with possibility.

Roberto walked into the kitchen as I put the final touches on a batch of dark chocolates, nestling them into white papers in a beautifully painted box. Lissa saw him, her cheeks flushing.

“Lissa, can you give us some time alone?” I asked.

Lissa nodded. She walked past Roberto and squeezed his arm before exiting into the dining room. I took off my apron. “Can we talk?”

Roberto nodded.

I touched the Murano heart around my neck and held out my hand. “I have something you need to know. It’s about Sara.”

Roberto’s face paled. I held his hand as I walked him out of the kitchen to the back stairs. There, an enclosed porch faced the canal. It was warm, and we had a beautiful view of the water and a series of arching bridges of that led to the lagoon.

There were still a few people in Carnival masks walking about, but the city was calming. It was early evening, and crisp with cold, but there a sleepiness was falling over our gilded city.

“I was there the day she took the pills,” I whispered, holding his hand. “I didn’t know it until I went back into her room. I talked to my mom and she filled in some missing pieces.”

“She said she fought with your father,” Roberto said.

“I don’t think that’s what happened. She heard my parents fighting. My mother told a lie to my father.” I paused. “Sara believed you were her half-brother.”

Roberto paled. “That’s what she meant about being unholy.”

“It wasn’t true. My mother was lashing out at my father, but Sara heard it. I don’t know what else was happening in her life, but it was too much for her. She couldn’t bear it.”

Roberto dropped my hand, his face ashen. He rested his face in his hands. “She was so beautiful. I always knew something was wrong that summer. I suspected she was depressed.

My memories of being with you and Sara were happy, but I didn’t always think it was a happy home.” He looked up at me, his dark eyes wet with tears.

“I’m so sorry, Roberto,” I said.

“No, I’m sorry,” he said. “I feel like it’s my fault. If Sara and I hadn’t been together..”

“You can’t say that, Roberto. You were innocent. You loved her. None of this is your fault or hers. You were children in love, and maybe if she had been older, or if my family had beenmore of a safe place for her, she might have talked to my family before giving in to her sadness. She had to be depressed before, Roberto.”

“I know,” he said. “I spent my life thinking I would be a part of the Uzano family. Sara knew about your father’s infidelity and she shared her anger with me. I didn’t know there was more. When she died, I felt so loyal to your mother that I wanted the life that I would have had if she hadn’t died. And there was you. It seems insane now, doesn’t it?”

“Oh, I don’t know. You are talking to a woman who married a virtual stranger last night,” I said, leaning into him.

He snorted. “You know, you are right. That is crazy.” He looked at me. “But he doesn’t feel like a stranger to you, does he?”

“No.”

We sat side-by-side, looking out across the canal. The sunset painted the sky in brilliant orange and red strokes.

“What are you going to do now that you’ve stopped the acquisition,” said Roberto. “Are you going to stay with him?”

“I haven’t decided yet,” I said. “I want to, but I am trying not to do something rash. Which I know seems ridiculous, all things considered.”

“Do you love him?” Roberto asked.

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