"That's not—" she started, then stopped, exhaling sharply. "You are taking this out of context, for God's sakes!"
"Then explain it to me in plain words," he said. "Because I am clearly missing something."
Vee swallowed, her gaze dropping briefly to the floor before she forced herself to look back at him. "I…" she started, then hesitated. Her throat tightened slightly as she searched for the right words—and failed to find anything that felt strong enough. "I… Marino was a good man," she said finally. "You should at least feel some remorse."
"It is not about whether he was a good man," he said. "It is about what I was asked to do, and what came from it."
Vee shook her head slightly, her eyes glistening now. "That's not—Luca, that's not how people think," she said.
"That is exactly how people like me think," he replied.
Vee looked away for a second, as if she needed distance from him just to breathe properly. "I don't know how to look at you right now," she admitted.
