Page 245 of La Dolce Vita

“I was wrong.”

“Yeah, we’re all wrong."

"You and Catalina had a fight. That's not the end of things..."

"Catalina and I are done. Giovanni was right from the start. I should have never... it doesn't matter. Armando is going to pay."

"The problem isn't Armando. Catalina made a mistake. Punish her for it, but don't throw away your life because of it."

"And if Kyra betrayed you with another man? Would you be so forgiving?"

"It would kill me inside. And I would kill that man. Just like you want to kill Armando. But I would hope that I would have your counsel to stop me. To help me see what I could lose. Catalina is who you want. She's all you've ever wanted, Dominic, since you fell in love with her. Everyone sees it. Why do you think Armando used her vulnerabilities against her? To get at you. To break Gio. You chase her away, and he wins. Do you understand? He wins."

Dominic sighed. "It's too late. We’re done. I can’t look at her."

Renaldo reached for Dominic's gun. He was relieved that Dominic didn't stop him. "It's only too late if you let her go. If you force her to do something she will never come back from."

"Get out. I want to be alone." Dominic said.

Renaldo nodded. He went to the door and looked back at his friend one last time. He smiled. Dominic was hurt, but he was strong. He'd recover. And he was going to make sure Armando didn't destroy them.

***

"I haven't seen Rosetta,"ZiaJosefina said.

"She's in her room, isn't she?" Mirabella asked. The laundry was behind. She had loads of it from their visit to America. She turned on the machine and looked at a concerned Josefina. All Mirabella knew to do was busy work. If she stayed still too long, her mind began to wander. And then it surfaced. The claustrophobic feeling of not being able to breathe. The uncontrollable urge to scream. She had to pretend her raging conflicting emotions didn't exist so she could function. But it was hard. She was on the verge of another episode.

"She’s not in her room. She went to bed, but she is gone. No one has seen her leave. It's strange."

"She's here somewhere. The house is so filled with people. She might have gone to the cellars for quiet. Check there."

"Okay. I'll check. You're right. She has to be here." Josefina turned to leave but bumped into Giovanni. "Hi, Gio."

When Mirabella heard her say Giovanni's name she kept busy. She pretended to be extremely interested in reading the dials on the washing machine.

"How are you, Josefina?"

"Better. I'm worried about Vito. I was going to find Rosetta. I think we should go to Rome today."

"I've already spoken to Enzo. He will take you both to Rome. We've made arrangements for your stay."

"Grazie,Gio! For everything.Grazie!"

Mirabella glanced back at them embracing. Giovanni looked up at her. She turned her head and continued to load the washer. Josefina must have left because Mirabella heard the door to the washroom close.

"Eve's lesson is over. She's quite the ballerina," Giovanni said.

Mirabella continued to separate the coloreds from the whites.

"I need your help, Bella."

She paused. She didn't look back at him. She stood still and waited.

"Dominic's in trouble. I got a message from Kyra. I think you and I should go get him. Together."

"Are you going to say anything about what I saw last night? Anything?"

"I was drunk."

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