Chapter 10
Chapter 10: The Quiet Dinner
Exactly one year after the incident with the salad plate, Renata went out to dinner.
She went entirely alone. She didn't want company. She chose a quiet, dimly lit, highly rated Italian restaurant in her new neighborhood in Roma. The waiter, polite and unobtrusive, brought her a glass of crisp, expensive white wine and a beautifully plated Caprese salad.
Renata took a slow sip of the wine, closing her eyes to savor the taste. She looked down at the salad—the bright red tomatoes, the pristine white mozzarella, the vibrant green basil.
A small, genuine smile played on her lips.
She sat up perfectly straight in her chair. She didn't do it because Evangelina was watching her, judging her posture. She didn't do it because she needed to impress anyone in the room, or to prove that she belonged in a wealthy setting.
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She sat up straight because the heavy, suffocating weight she had carried for six years was gone. Her shoulders were finally light. Because there was no longer an entire family trying to force her to bow her head in submission.
She picked up her silver fork, took a bite of the salad, and looked out the window at the bustling, beautiful city. And for the first time in seven long years, Renata truly, deeply enjoyed the taste of her own life.
