Either way, Eliana didn’t have the stomach for conflict that he had. She would go off for a while then come back and be civil—be a good wife.

Always the same foolishness, he thought. If she wants me home so much, why does she make it so damn miserable to come home?

Still, the situation was manageable. And there was the upside. His wife was a good cook, she kept a good home and she was a good mother. There was a price for those things. Even Eden had snakes.

At around midnight Maurizio shut off the television and went into their bedroom. Eliana had finished painting and come back downstairs to do the dishes more than an hour before and had still not spoken to him. Not a good omen, he thought. She was like a pressure cooker. The more time that went by, the more steam built up.

He dropped his clothes on the floor at the side of the bed and climbed naked under the sheets. He lit another cigarette, stretched back in bed then called out for her.

“Eliana. Come to bed, amore. It’s late.”

No response. A moment later he tried again.

“I’ve been away from my woman too long,” he said playfully. “Don’t make your man wait any longer.”

A few minutes later Eliana walked into the room. She stopped at the foot of the bed, eyeing him fiercely. Her voice was low, simmering. “So tell me, Maurizio, was it lonely on the road?”

“It is always lonely, amore.”

“So you were all alone?”

He looked at her carefully, trying to guess the intent of her question. “Certo.” Of course.

“Then who do these belong to?” She dangled two diamond earrings in front of him. “They were in your coat pocket.”

His eyes darted from the earrings to her. He laughed nervously. “Per te, amore. They’re for you. I thought they would look nice with your green dress. You know the one I gave you last summer from Venice. I was running late, I didn’t have time to have them wrapped.”

“Really?” Eliana’s eyes flashed. She raised her other hand. “And the lipstick I found with them—that too was a gift for me, Maurizio? Maybe next time you should buy some that isn’t already used.”

For a moment the two stared at each other; then Maurizio surrendered with a loud sigh. “Eliana, è così.”

Eliana exploded. “No, it’s not just the way it is! It’s the way you are.” She flung the earrings and lipstick case against the wall. “I won’t do this anymore. I won’t. It’s over, Maurizio. It’s over between us.”

“Amore, no,” he said calmly.

“Don’t you dare call me that. Don’t you ever call me that again.”

“We have a good life here, amore. Una dolce vita.”

“What do you know of the life I have here? You are never here. You are always someplace else with some other woman while I stay and keep your house clean and your son alive. You know nothing of my life, Maurizio. Niente!”