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“I’m sure Paolo will gladly raise the child as his own.”
Sometimes it was scary how well Mom knew my train of thought. I bit my lip, my eyes burning with a new wave of tears.
Mom swallowed, then nodded slowly. “Of course, I understand. If you’re pregnant, we’ll deal with it.”
Mom wasn’t fond of abortions, but I knew she’d have my back no matter what I decided.
“I’ll keep it if I’m pregnant. But I hope I’m not.”
“Oh, you want them home?” Mom said after a glance at my face. “I just thought…” She let out a shaky breath.
“Can you come with me? I need to grab a shower…”
“It’s not your fault, Flavio,” I said firmly before he could utter an apology.
“There were too many. You alone couldn’t have done anything different from…” I took a deep breath. “Maximus.”
“We don’t know that, and I’ll always wonder…”
“We’ll get revenge. Luca gave Flavio, Maximus, and me the okay to focus our efforts on finding the culprits.
“Sara. Luca won’t punish Maximus. And I chose not to ask him to.”
Mom’s face twisted with disbelief, and she sat up straight on the sofa. “You can’t be serious!”
“You didn’t watch the video, Lily,” Dad implored.
“Oh God,” I whispered, realizing what that meant. Dad and Flavio had watched the video… I shot to my feet and ran upstairs.
“I’m sorry, Sara. Part of me wants to kill Maximus, but…”
“It’s not that,” I whispered. “I didn’t want you to watch.”
Dad was silent. Even though I didn’t want to, I looked up. His face was full of anguish. I reached for...
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“You shouldn’t be the one consoling me, Sa...
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“That’s m...
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Inessa was seven years and Alea was nine years younger than me. They argued all the time.
“How can I resist your minestrone?”
Those two loved each other dearly, but not a day passed when they didn’t fight.
Too late. Paolo’s father.
Mom gave me a tight smile. Did she really think I hadn’t seen who had written her?
“They were just asking how you feel.”
Dad and Matteo picked me up. I was surprised to see my uncle.
“Your mom said you are determined to see Isa in the gym. Are you well enough to go out?” Dad asked as he held the door to the black limousine open for me while Matteo sat in the driver’s seat.
Matteo smiled at me.
“I didn’t expect you,” I told him.
“It’s been a while since I’ve visited Gianna in the gym. Today’s a good day to change that,” he said afte...
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Isa’s mother, my aunt Gianna, owned the gym. Through the glass wall on the right, I could see her giving a yoga course to half a dozen women, all of them familiar faces.
“Your vigilance is lacking,” Matteo said to Isa as he approached her and pressed a kiss to her temple.
She made a face. “Oh please, guards ar...
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She was even more serious and withdrawn than before, always immersed in a book or scribbling on a notepad.
“Did you know Stephen King wrote The Shining while under the influence of alcohol and heroin? And he doesn’t even remember writing Cujo.”
“I hope you’re not thinking about trying the same,” I said. “But considering the disturbing nature of many of his books, I’m not surprised.”
“Disturbing but genius. And if you don’t like disturbing books, you shouldn’t read mine.”
“You wrote a book?”
“You can’t change people. Some of them will always talk shit. They like to gossip. You are a survivor, so don’t mind these idiots. Karma will pay them back.”
“My parents are probably arguing somewhere,” Isa said with a small shrug as if it was no big deal.
I’d never heard my parents argue. I wasn’t sure if they simply never fought or were just very good at hiding their arguments from my siblings and me.
Cara stepped inside, dressed in gym clothes with her brown hair up in a high ponytail....
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She froze in her tracks with wide eyes when she spotted me, and I did the same. Her eyes were blue, not the startling auburn of her son, and I was glad...
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“I’m so sorry, Sara,” she whispered. “I know it might be hard to hear, but Maximus is distraught. He didn’t want any of this.”
“Cara,” Dad said in a hard tone as he rose from his chair.
“You’re looking out for your child, Romero, and I’m looking out for mine. Maximus was a victim in this too.”
“That’s some serious sexism there, Dad,”
“I’m sure it can be the case, Isa,” Matteo said in a voice that suggested he wasn’t convinced.
“Only took him a week,” I said with a fake smile.
