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“He shouldn’t have been. He knew I wouldn’t take it lying down.”
“He didn’t think you would burn the palazzo down!” Violetta’s eyes rounded with disbelief. “He didn’t know you were capable of such a thing!”
“Your father knows what I’m capable of.” Franco bit his tongue,thinking of the Baron’s order to murder the boy. This conversation wasn’t going the way he had planned. “And I know what he’s capable of.”
“My father would never do such a thing, and I never would’ve thoughtyoucould do such a thing! You burned my house to the ground!”
“It was your parents’ house—”
“I live there! My bedroom is there! All my things!”
“Your father was going to stop me from buying Moravio’s parcel. Now he can’t, and I’ll get the parcel and a villa, too. We can start a new life and travel the world, the way you want to—”
“How can I start a new life with you now?”
“How can younot?” Franco’s mouth went dry. “Your parents can’t stop us anymore. We’re going to be married.”
“No, no, I can’t, I can’t now.” Violetta sniffled, holding back tears, and Franco felt his heart break.
“Why not? I love you. We love each other.”
“My parents are devastated! My mother fainted when she heard!”
“You hate your mother.”
“No, I don’t!”
“Yes, you do, you used to say so all the time. Same with your father. You say they treat you like a child. They do, I saw with my own eyes.”
“Franco, all families fight. It doesn’t mean we hate each other.”
“But what about the way they treated us? Your mother called you a brat. Your father called me a jumped-upbracciante.”
“They were angry, surprised, and they hadn’t known about us! Anyway, I’m talking about thegiardino. My mother had happy memories there. My grandparents loved it.”
Franco’s head was spinning. “Violetta, we can sort this later. Let’s get you out of here, and we can talk reason—”
“Iamtalking reason. We can never have a future after what you’ve done. My parents will never accept you now.”
“They’d never accept me anyway. You saw what happened.” Franco felt himself losing control. “I was wrong to trust your father! I was crazy to believe he would see me as his son-in-law, ever!”
“Now I’m ashamed we were together. Not because of who you are, or even what you’ve done, but because of me. I was selfish, I saw only what I wanted. I brought such shame on my family. I brought such destruction into their lives.”
Franco couldn’t believe his ears. “Violetta, you don’t mean this.”
“Yes, I do.” Violetta straightened. “I caused a calamity. I’m getting what I deserve.”
“No, your parents caused it by not accepting us.”
“You don’t understand.” Violetta eyed him through the grate. “Go away, and never come back.”
“But, Violetta, I love you.” Tears sprang to Franco’s eyes.
“My parents say I never loved you, that it was childish rebellion.”
“Itwaslove,” Franco shot back. “Violetta, don’t you want to be free—”
“Yes, of you!” Violetta closed the shutters.
