A copy of the book "Tendenza Veronica" (Veronica's Trend), a biography of Veronica Lario by journalist Maria Latella, is displayed at a book store in downtown Rome August 26, 2009.

The estranged¹ wife of Premier² Silvio Berlusconi says in a book published yesterday that it was her husband's alleged³ lies that pushed her to file for divorce at the outset of the sex scandal involving the Italian conservative leader.

In the book, Veronica Lario recalls how in April she made the decision after her husband failed to mention he would attend the birthday party of an 18-year-old model in Naples, telling her only about his official business in the southern city.

The premier's attendance at Noemi Letizia's party was later reported in the media and sparked a series of allegations over Berlusconi's purported⁴ fondness for young women.

Berlusconi, 72, has denied having any improper⁵ relationship with Letizia or any other women.

Tendenza Veronica, (Veronica's Trend), is a revised edition of a book first published in 2004 by journalist Maria Latella. In the new edition, she quotes Lario as saying that the Naples incident was only the latest problem in her relationship with her husband.

"It was the latest lie. Better then to try to seek a last way to respect myself, better to divorce," the 53-year-old Lario said. "He put me in this situation."

Lario, a former actress with whom Berlusconi has three children, said her husband's actions were embarrassing him at a global level.

"I cannot be his baby sitter and I cannot stop him any more from making himself ridiculous in front of the world," she said. "I'm done."

Latella told the reporters that the Naples party was "the turning point" for Lario.

"I asked her what about Noemi: 'Maybe she is your husband's daughter,'" Latella recalled. "Veronica's answer was: 'If she really were Silvio's daughter, I would open the door of my home, but I know she is not.'"

The public denunciation of Berlusconi that ensued wasn't the first time the usually private Lario openly complained about her husband's reported flirtations.

Two years ago, she received a quick and public apology from Berlusconi when she wrote an open letter to La Repubblica - a left-leaning paper fiercely critical of Berlusconi - complaining about her husband telling TV starlet Mara Carfagna: "If I weren't married, I would marry you immediately."

Carfagna is now Berlusconi's minister for equal opportunity.

Berlusconi has dismissed all the allegations as lies fabricated by the opposition⁶ and left-leaning media.

Although the scandal has been heavily played in the media for weeks, Berlusconi has so far kept his popularity in Italy largely intact. The center-right coalition⁷, which won elections in the spring of 2008, has remained stable.

意大利总理、保守党领袖西尔维奥•贝卢斯科尼的妻子在昨日出版的一本新书中透露，丈夫的性丑闻刚刚曝光她便提出离婚，这是因为他以前在说谎。

韦罗妮卡在书中回忆了自己在今年四月份做出此决定的前因后果。之前，贝卢斯科尼向她隐瞒了自己前往意大利南部城市那不勒斯参加一名18岁女模特生日派对一事，只称自己是去处理公务。

随后，总理先生参加诺埃米•莱蒂齐亚的生日派对一事被媒体曝光，并引发了一系列有关贝卢斯科尼好色的说法。

现年72岁的贝卢斯科尼否认自己与莱蒂齐亚或其他女性存在不正当关系。

最新修订的《韦罗妮卡动向》一书于2004年首版，由记者玛利亚•拉泰拉整理出版。在新版中，她引述拉里奥的话称，那不勒斯事件只是两人之间的一个新问题。

53岁的拉里奥说：“这是他的又一个谎言，所以我最好抓住最后的机会，维护自己的尊严，最好离婚。是他逼我这样做的。”

拉里奥称，丈夫的所作所为使其在全世界面前颜面尽失。拉里奥曾是一名演员，与贝卢斯科尼育有三个孩子。

她说：“我不是他的保姆，我也不会再去管他做出什么荒谬的事。我该做的都做了。”

拉泰拉在接受记者采访时称，“那不勒斯派对”事件对于拉里奥来说是一个转折点。

拉泰拉回忆道：“我问她怎么看待诺埃米，我说‘也许她是他的女儿’。但韦罗妮卡却回答说：‘如果她真是西尔维奥的女儿，我会敞开家门欢迎她，但我知道她不是。”

之后，一向隐秘低调的拉里奥就此事公开谴责贝卢斯科尼，这已经不是她第一次公开谴责丈夫的调情行为了。

两年前，拉里奥曾写了一封公开信给《共和报》，谴责其丈夫对电视新星玛拉•卡尔法尼亚说“如果我还没结婚，我会立刻娶你”的言论，之后，拉里奥收到贝卢斯科尼简短的公开致歉信。《共和报》是一家左倾报纸，专门挑贝卢斯科尼的毛病。

目前，玛拉•卡尔法尼亚在贝卢斯科尼政府中担任机会平等部部长。

而贝卢斯科尼则反驳称所有对他的指控都是反对党派和左倾媒体捏造出来的。

尽管贝卢斯科尼的桃色新闻已被媒体大肆报道了好几周，但他在意大利的支持率至今没受到什么影响。他所领导的意大利中右翼联盟在2008年春季大选中获胜，其统治基础目前还很牢固。

Vocabulary:

purported:assumed to be such（传言的；谣传的）

outset: the beginning or start（开始，开端）

ensued: to follow in order; come afterward（随后发生，继起）