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At least until then he’dfor hours, about the business, of course, but about so s, too The world around thes they’d like to do

She’d iether once they were married But for Sebastian it seemed they were only daydreams

‘As forMaria with a sad look on her face ‘I didn’t think you wanted to go at all’

Far, far too perceptive

‘I didn’t,’ Maria adh ‘But at the salad now that I did It was the right decision for me, and for Frankie’

‘You definitely seem morecertain, if that makes sense,’ Noemi said ‘Like you knohat you want your life to be now’

‘Maybe I do’ It was just a shaot it But even if a happy-ever-after with Sebastian was off the table, that didn’t mean she couldn’t have a full and happy life without hi a lot about otI’d never really been alone before And this ti care of hi what he needed—and what I needed It’s definitely beeneducational’

And hard and lonely and difficult—but also fulfilling, rewarding and so full of love that some days Maria just cried because of how lucky she was, instead of for everything she’d lost

But she didn’t tell Noemi that part

‘Maybe that’s what seems so different about you,’ Noerown up Not that you weren’t before, of course, but it’s different now Like you’re the adult in the room The mother, I suppose’

‘Not the only one for long,’ Maria said, with a soft smile ‘Did I tell you how incredibly happy I am for you? And for Max, of course’

Noemi’s face lit up at the mention of her fiancé and their babies ‘You did But I’ain!’

Impulsively, Maria threw her arht ‘I’ive me hope’

‘Hope?’ Noe as she pulled away ‘What do you mean?’

‘Well, if everything can work out so perfectly for you, maybe I can still find that sort of happiness one day’

‘Just not with Sebastian?’ Noe-headed idiot a lot of the time, but Sebastian He means well, I think And this last year, without youhe’s just been so sad And annoying and irritable, of course, but mostly sad’

Maria looked down at her hands Annoyed or angry, she’d expected She hadn’t expected sad In fact, she’d iined he’d have been frustrated for a few days and crash around the place in a black et distracted by soet he’d ever had a wife or child until it was all over

That hat he’d done when she’d been there, after all

‘Yeah, well I was sad when I ith hi, really It was as ifthe moment ere married I became invisible to him Another ite Even Frankie I know he loves him, but sometimes I think he sees him more as an heir than a son’

She knehy, of course, as well as Noemi did That was how Salvo had always treated Seb—the same way Maria’s father had always treated her, as an asset, to marry off as he saw best, to further his own business endeavours That was one of the things they’d had in coe that their function was more important than who they were as a person

The only difference was that Seb’s parents had adored and loved hier achieve Seb was the best she could ever hope for—her entire self-worth wrapped up in someone else’s abilities

‘Mariayou knohat it was like for Seb growing up Our parents onderful, loving people—especially to me But for Sebour father was different with hi from the moment he could see over the counter in Cattaneo Jewels HQ He had so much to learn, you see, and it was so i he needed to take over the business one day—’

‘And then they left the controlling share to the son they’d not seen since the day he was born,’ Maria finished, surprised at the anger she felt on Seb’s behalf

It seee behind, the eht up in her still remained

Noe we can find a way to work it all out I ave Mariaher sister-in-law in that statement