Throughout the breakfast Silvio and Dante conversed in Italian. I couldnʼt understand, but I could feel the tension behind their words. Where Dante eyes me with worrisome now and then, my husbands seemed more occupied with running his fingers on my thigh. The action was unconscious yet it felt like he was soothing me.

“gestisci la situazione, informami se va male.” As Silvio spoke these words, I noticed a subtle change in Dante's demeanor. His body stiffened, and then he nodded in agreement. This small reaction caught my attention and caused a sense of unease to settle within me—as if a puzzle piece had been purposefully hidden from view. It...