Inside her room, Joy played the first song, “Crazy for You” by Madonna. It was the song she and Tony danced to in the gymnasium.

She sat on the bed and listened to the words. On her wedding day, the butterflies in her stomach had almost made her sick.

“Is God trying to tell me something, Momma?” she asked, gripping her belly that day. “Am I making a mistake marrying Tony?”

Her mother held her hands. “Joy, only you can answer that question.”

But Joy simply shook her head and stared at herself in the mirror. A vision in white satin and lace.

“Do you love him?” Her mother stepped behind her and placed her white-gloved hands on Joy’s shoulders.

“Yes, Momma. I do. More than anything.”

“It’s just nerves, Joy,” her mother had said. “You and Tony are perfect for each other. He’s a good man. He’ll earn a good living for you and provide a lovely home for you.”

Joy faced her mother and smiled.

She was right. Joy chuckled. He did all that and more. Setting aside her phone on the nightstand, Joy slipped off her wet shoes and changed into her pajamas. Could they start again here in Venice?

Joy washed her face and brushed her teeth, listening to the songs play on her phone. With each one, she could picture herself at football games, dances, riding in cars with her friends, studying in her room for tests.

As she turned down her bed, Joy remembered how her mother had married for security and not love. They did have a big house and money, but Joy struggled to remember love in the home.

But she and Tony did have love in the home. Could she be that woman who could take an unfaithful man back? Joy climbed into bed and stopped playing the songs. Opening her journal, she decided to write down her thoughts.

Pain.

Heartbreak.

Anxiety.

I felt all those things when Tony left me. Nothing but a big wreck of a woman lying in bed in his wake. That’s what he left behind.

Joy looked up from her journal, remembering.

Can I go back to trusting him again after all that? Now that I’ve found myself, I don’t want to risk losing myself again. I don’t want to be like my mother and only marry for security. Am I that type of woman? I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that, but is it for me?

She sighed, staring at the pen in her hand. But Jaime . . .

She deserves to have a family again. She suffered so much from the divorce, seeing her family torn apart. Jaime needs to have a family at the wedding supporting her.

I had a family. Tony had one. Jaime needs one. As Alex said, family is everything.

Alex.

What about him?

She shook her head.

I cannot deny my feelings for him, and I know he feels something for me. He’s made that clear.

Being with him was . . . special. Unique. Satisfying. He’s such a kind man who makes me feel special when I’m with him.

It’s obvious Tony still misses Tiffany and would take her back if she came to him tonight.

She sighed.

And that’s how it should be. They’re married. They should work things out.

Oh, Lord . . ., she wrote. I honestly don’t know what to do. Should I trust him again? Can I? I don’t know if I have it in me.

But Jaime . . .

Closing the journal, Joy exhaled. Anxiety that weighed her down like a wet blanket had eased off her body.

She set the alarm on her phone, but before she set it down on the nightstand, another text message appeared, this time from Jaime.

Are you okay?

Joy knew Tony had let Jaime know what happened.

I’m great. It was a lovely evening.

Jaime sent a        and nothing else.

Had Tony informed her of the night’s events? Joy wondered. That familiar pain of guilt flowed over her body. The guilt a mother has when she could make her child happy but chooses not to.

If Tony and I work things out, Jaime would be ecstatic. It would make her dreams come true—seeing us both at her wedding, happy, in love. Dancing together.

Tears filled Joy’s eyes as she remembered when her own father passed away and her family was forever torn apart.

What I wouldn’t give to have seen Mom and Dad together one more time. But she was powerless to make it happen.

I love you too, Joy texted. Don’t worry. Everything’s going to be all right.

But now she had the power to do it. She could put together her little family again, and for Jaime.

No child should endure the pain of their family being ripped apart when it didn’t have to be.

Love you, Mom!

Those words and that exclamation point relieved Joy of any guilt. Everything’s going to be all right. She grinned, set down her phone, and turned out the light. Staring out the window, the reality came to her. Everything’s going to be all right.

The next morning, as Joy approached the flower shop in the busy piazza, she spotted Alessandro unloading flowers from his cart. He wore a black polo shirt with the DeSantis Farms logo on it, tan slacks, and a bright smile.

“Buongiorno,” he said with smiling eyes.