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“Are you going to fk her?”
Sih of that shit dealing with Julia”
Natalie wrinkled her nose at the mention of her forirl is a virgin?”
“Her fauess”
“Religion didn’t keep Jules fro down on you” Natalie crossed her arms in front of her
“Keep your mouth shut about Julia I don’t need her assle boyfriend fking things up for me”
“He’s her assle husband now”
“I don’t care what he is You know the score” Siain”
“How do you think I feel? My boyfriend is being set up with another goody two-shoes because his father thinks I’ripped her ass with both hands
“We’re finally getting ant We just need to wait until after the election”
“Oh, I can be patient” She dropped to her knees in front of hi him from the confines of his jeans “But I think you need a re out on”
Chapter Thirty-five
Florence, Italy
Gabriel s at the shards of a broken water glass He’d upset Julianne
She’d seen his before He’d murdered her old cell phone when thatthe air deep into his lungs before exhaling through his nostrils
He did not think of their relationship as teh they’d had rove over her paper They’d fought in Umbria when he’d asked about her ht they’d descended to a nehen she accused hi was further from the truth He couldn’t even place the word and her name in the same sentence
But he’d lost his temper before he had the chance to say that
His secrets were hurting her He knew that But he couldn’t unburden himself until he’d found a solution He didn’t want to appear weak and undecided, or worse, to watch her coe into pity He’d rather alienate her temporarily than lose her respect
And he hadn’t found a way forward Not yet He was caught between two extremes, both of which were unacceptable At the e or the wisdoarette and lit another one Perhaps he lacked both courage and wisdom
Julianne was correct If they adopted a child, he’d have to quit He’d quit cigarettes before, after his stint in rehab He could quit again
He thought about To they were expecting to the devastation of learning that their child had a life-threatening birth defect He couldn’t ilimpse of such impotence when Paulina—
Gabriel forced hiers He couldn’t allow his azed at the skyline of Florence, at the tower of the Palazzo Vecchio, waiting until he was sure Julia was asleep