Niccolò beamed with excitement. “I’m going to Hollywood with Ruby. Her agent will represent me for movies.” He swept his arm around Ruby. “This will be the beginning of our new life in America.”
Carolina’s face crumpled with sadness, and Dante took her hand. “That is a surprise,” he said, stunned. In their eyes, their love and concern for Niccolò were evident. “We planned that you would come into the business with me. Finding new artists, building their careers with collectors. You will be very good at that.”
A wave of disappointment washed over Niccolò’s face. “Papà, I know this isn’t what you’d planned, but I thought you’d be happy for us.”
“Italy isn’t good enough anymore?” Dante asked quietly, flexing the muscles in his jaw.
“Papà, please understand.”
Dante rapped on the table. “Stay in Rome; have a good life. Raise your children with family they will know and trust. This is our way.”
Carolina looked up at Ruby with sadness. “Niccolò is our eldest son. I would love your children and help you care for them. We are family now.”
Hearing the pain in Carolina’s voice, Ruby twisted her skirt tighter. This is what she’d feared. “I can’t stay here. There’s a drought in Texas, and if I don’t return to work, my family will lose their ranch. I can’t do that to them.”
“See, Papà? We have to go.”
“We know what happens,” Dante said, his expression darkening. “People go to America, and they don’t return. We will never see you again. Is that what you want? To bring your mother such misery?”
“I don’t mean to hurt anyone.” Niccolò’s voice cracked. “But you have always encouraged me to follow my dreams.”
“Sì, a Roma. In Italia,” Dante said, shaking his finger. “Why do you want to live in America? It’s so far, so big. It’s not for you.”
“I want to act. The art business is yours, and even Valeria would be a better choice than me.”
“Valeria will have a family,” Dante said, slapping his hand on the table. “Your grandfather started this business, passed it to me, and now it is your turn. You should be thinking of your responsibility.” He swept his hand in a dismissive gesture. “But, if you must act, Cinecittà Studio is here in Rome. Why go to Hollywood?”
“But Ruby can’t work in Italy,” Niccolò said, grinding his teeth. “She doesn’t speak much Italian, and she must return to Hollywood. Besides, this is our dream.”
Carolina dabbed her eyes with the edge of her apron. “If it’s what he wants…” She shrugged, but her heart was obviously breaking.
“No, no, no.” His father curled his hands, raising his voice as he spoke. “I know my son. This—” Dante paused, gesturing between Niccolò and Ruby. “This marriage was a mistake. You didn’t even ask us first.”
Ruby couldn’t contain her heartbreak, and tears spilled onto her cheeks. His father’s response was worse than they had imagined.
Niccolò turned to her to wipe her cheeks, but she pushed him away. In her heart, she knew they’d done the right thing by getting married, but in the process, they’d alienated his parents, who had valid points driven only by love. Seeing their reaction made her dread telling her parents even more. What have we done?
Niccolò spread his hands in an appeal. “Papà, I’m an adult. I can do what I want.”
“I will not let you make another mistake,” Dante said, jabbing the table. “How would you live in America? You don’t even have enough money for your passage. No, you will stay here. You had your fun, and now I need your help in the business. That is final.”
Niccolò jutted out his jaw and rose from his chair. “I will do what I want.”
“You must get this marriage annulled,” his father shot back. “That girl,” he sputtered, pointing at Ruby. “If she takes you to America, then she is not the one for you. In Hollywood, you will forget your family. You will forget who you are.”
“That’s not true,” Ruby cried out. As anger erupted in her chest, her head grew light, and her limbs tingled. She couldn’t believe what she’d heard. Annul their marriage?
“No, no, non lo farò,” Niccolò said, putting his arm protectively around Ruby. “We will not.”
“Mio Dio.” His mother sucked in her breath and passed her hands over her face. “Ah, no, no, no…”
Niccolò smacked his forehead and muttered a few words in Italian that Ruby didn’t understand. But his father did. Within seconds, Niccolò and Dante were yelling at each other in Italian. Although Ruby didn’t know what they were saying, she could guess. Guilt gathered in the pit of her stomach.
“Quando è troppo è troppo,” Carolina cried as she tried to calm her husband, but to no avail.
“Finito,” Dante yelled, gesturing toward Ruby. A dark shadow drew over his face, and he clenched Niccolò’s shoulders. “If you disobey me, destroy your mother’s heart, and turn your back on your responsibilities here, then you are finished. Board that ship if you want, but you will never return here.”
As the argument escalated, Ruby’s heart split. She’d caused this. If she’d been an Italian girl, none of this would have happened. She had ruined Niccolò’s relationship with his parents.
With tears clouding her vision, Ruby pushed from the table and raced toward the front door. She grabbed her purse and flung open the door, desperate to get away from the anger and harm she’d inflicted on Niccolò and his family.
A taxi was dropping a passenger at the corner, and she ran toward it, stumbling on the cobblestones in the gathering twilight. When she reached the cab, she gave the driver her address and slid into the back seat, wiping tears from her cheeks. As the driver started, she heard a cry and turned around.
“Ruby! Stop!” Waving his arms, Niccolò raced toward the taxi.
“Don’t stop,” she said to the driver, motioning for him to keep going. “Andiamo, per favore, andiamo.”
Ashamed over leaving Niccolò, yet knowing it was the right thing to do, Ruby sank her face into her hands. Niccolò’s father had rejected her, and he was forbidding Niccolò from leaving Italy. Even if Niccolò left with her, she’d destroyed his family. She couldn’t bear that guilt.
Have I ruined Niccolò’s life? As the taxi careened through the night, she moaned and clutched the silver half-heart around her neck, her heart breaking just as surely as the one she wore.
Chapter 18
Lago di Como, 2010
* * *
“Here we are.” Ruby paused in front of Lorenzo’s café that overlooked the lake. Smiling at the young woman who stood at the reception desk, she said, “Please tell Lorenzo Pagani that Ruby Raines and her niece are here for lunch. He’s expecting us.”
The young woman’s eyes widened. “Signora Raines, what a pleasure. I’ll let him know right away.” She hurried toward Lorenzo.