Summary

Elena ruminates on having dinner with Nino and how empty she feels once he has left. She compares him to her own fiancé, Pietro. For a sliver of a moment she prefers Nino out of habit, and her strange attitude is reflected on her face as Pietro tries to ask her what is wrong. Elena knows that, had Pietro not appeared at dinner, she would have tried to get Nino into her hotel and her bed. With the wedding to Pietro a sure thing now, she wonders if she is doing the right thing; in the end, she decides it is.

In Chapter 8, Elena goes home to tell her parents that she will be marrying Pietro within the year, and that he will come to the house to meet them. Her mother explodes, accusing Elena of being self-centered and too high and mighty...