He Traded My Pain for Another Woman’s Smile

On Christmas Eve, I rode five hours by train into Dario Moretti's territory, wanting to surprise the man my family had promised me to.

What I didn't expect was that the man who was supposed to be minding his crew's business had a house full of people, loud and warm with the kind of laughter that carries wine in it.

Through the clear glass of the front window, I saw him and an unfamiliar girl at the center of the room, everyone pressed in close around them.

The girl had been dealt some truth to tell. The others were egging her on, teasing until her face went red.