Page 84 of Sacred Hearts

“Realistically?” Sophia looks at me with uncharacteristic directness. “You need to issue a clarification. Say the photos were manipulated or taken out of context. Claim your relationship with the Pope is purely professional, focused on mutual anti-corruption efforts.”

“Lie, you mean.” The words taste bitter.

“Or frame it as a misunderstanding,” she continues. “Say you were offering comfort to a spiritual leader under tremendous pressure. Play up the Catholic angle—you were seeking guidance, absolution.”

I shake my head. “That’s still a lie.”

“It’s politics,” Renata counters. “And it might be the only way to save your government and the anti-corruption legislation. Everythingwe’ve worked for is at stake.”

“I need some air,” I announce. “Thirty minutes. Then we’ll reconvene and make decisions.”

Outside in the courtyard garden, I find a bench partially hidden by a flowering oleander. The spring air carries the scent of blossoms and distant rain. I close my eyes, trying to centre myself amid the political hurricane.

“I thought I’d find you in the gardens.”

I look up to see Gabriella standing there, her expression softer than it had been in the conference room.

“I thought you were strategizing with the others,” I say, shifting to make room for her.

“They can manage without me for a few minutes.” She sits beside me, her posture straight but her eyes kind. “Sometimes the most important strategy is knowing when to step back and remember why we’re fighting in the first place.”

I laugh without humour. “Is that what we’re doing? Fighting?”

“Aren’t we?” She looks at me directly. “The question is what exactly we’re fighting for.”

“The anti-corruption legislation. The reforms. All the promises I made to the Italian people.”

“And your integrity? Is that not worth fighting for as well?” Her voice is gentle but firm. “Matteo, I’ve stood beside you since the beginning because you were different. You meant what you said. People trust you because you’ve always been honest to a fault.”

I turn to face her fully. “And now you think I should lie? Deny Marco?”

“I didn’t say that.” She plucks a leaf from the oleander, examining it carefully. “I’m merely asking you to consider what matters most. If you start living a lie now, you lose yourself. And once that happens, what are we fighting for anyway?”

“You know what they’re going to do to me in that vote tomorrow.”

“I do.” She nods solemnly. “I’ve been in politics long enough to count votes accurately. But I’ve also been in justice long enough to know that the truth has power of its own.”

My phone buzzes again with multiple notifications. I glance down to see headlines streaming in:

POPE PIUS CALLS EMERGENCY MEETING OF CARDINALS

VATICAN IN CRISIS AS POPE REFUSES TO STEP DOWN

CARDINAL ANTONELLI: “HOMOSEXUAL RELATIONSHIP DISQUALIFIES POPE FROM OFFICE”

“He’s fighting for his position too,” I murmur.

“Then fight alongside him,” Gabriella says simply. “Not by denying him. Our anti-corruption campaign has always been about bringing truth to light. Why stop now when it matters most?”

I’m about to respond when Sophia appears at the garden entrance, waving urgently. “Matteo! You need to see this.”

We hurry back inside to find the ministers gathered around a television. Carlos’s face fills the screen, his expression solemn as he addresses reporters outside parliament.

“…a profound moral crisis that threatens the very foundations of our republic,” he’s saying. “Prime Minister Valentini has not only betrayed his office but has engaged in a relationship that undermines the sacred institution of the Church. I call upon him to resign immediately and allow a government of national unity to restore dignity to our nation.”

The camera pulls back to reveal Cardinal Lombardi standing beside him, nodding gravely.

“They’re moving faster than we anticipated,” Gabriella says. “They’ve already formed an alliance.”

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