Keira dropped her eyes to the tabletop. Her fingers played with the cloth. Clearly Cristiano had thought this through. In fact, he’d thought about it more than she had. And he was right. She was resisting him coming into her world and seeing the reality of it. While all they had was Italy, everything was a perfect fairytale. But once home, once life started encroaching upon that, it would all change. It would become real, not just a love story.

Finally, she looked up at Cristiano, completely shocked by her own thoughts and the words she was about to say.

“You’re right. I hadn’t thought about the reality, about what things would be like after. I… I’m not sure if I want things to change. I think maybe it would be better if we just kept this as an Italy thing.”

Cristiano looked pained, like he had been betrayed in the worst imaginable way. “Are you saying that this is it, Keira? That this is the end?”

She chewed her lip. Her heart was pounding. She felt torn, half of her telling her to take the plunge, the other half telling her not to, to be just a little bit sensible. But she felt like she’d started the wheels in motion already.

Finally, her whole heart aching with disbelief at what she was doing, she nodded.

Without another word, Cristiano stood. He threw his napkin down on the table and swirled away, out of the restaurant.

Keira sunk her head into her hands. Lance had wanted an ending, a conclusion.

But even she had not seen that one coming.

CHAPTER THIRTY ONE

Monday morning arrived with unseasonably hot and oppressive weather.

Keira packed her things slowly, sadly. Cristiano’s side of the bed was neatly made; he’d not been there to mess up the covers.

She took her case downstairs to the foyer, realizing it was the first time since her disastrous day with Antonio that she’d be responsible for it again. It felt heavy, like a weight sitting uncomfortably on her shoulders.

She checked out, then headed into the streets, navigating them alone in search of her bus stop. Unlike the time she’d spent alone in Naples, she didn’t even feel anxious. She was far too unhappy for that.

Her bus arrived and Keira dragged her heavy suitcase on board. It was rammed with people on their way to work, and they gave her nasty looks as she tried to maneuver her way past them. She knew what they were thinking, she’d thought it enough times herself on the subway in New York City, when tourists got on during rush hour with their bulky bags. She felt uneasy, like she’d outstayed her welcome in Italy.

There was no spare seat for Keira and she ended up standing most of the way. The bus ride took a long time, frequently becoming stuck in heavy traffic. It was a side of Italy she’d not seen since that first day, and she felt the romance of the place shatter around her. It was another country, after all, filled with people who had jobs to do, taxes and bills to pay, all those mundane, unromantic activities she would soon be returning to in New York City.