Chapter 32
Seated beside her attorney in the small, stifling courtroom, Ava clenched her jaw and swung her gaze to the witness box, where her nemesis had been facing her all morning.
Luca sat near the judge, preening in the spotlight and confidently answering questions in a deep, mellifluous voice—the same honeyed Italian cadence that had turned her head as a young girl—put forth by his attorney, Russell Glenhall. He’d cleaned up, too. Wearing a charcoal suit and a white starched shirt, Luca was the picture of a successful, responsible businessman.
Ava knew better. She still bore the scars to prove it.
Behind Ava in the first wooden pew sat Caterina, Raphael, and Nina. Fellow winemakers and friends filled the courtroom.
“Mr. Rosetta, please tell the court why you did not return to Mil
