Total pages in book: 119
Estimated words: 113710 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 569(@200wpm)___ 455(@250wpm)___ 379(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 113710 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 569(@200wpm)___ 455(@250wpm)___ 379(@300wpm)
My puppet strings were tied before I took my first breath.
I just foolishly believed cutting them would change the rules.
Silly me.
Chapter 29
Dante
Camille is brilliant onstage. There’s no other word for her grace. She moves with a quiet confidence that wasn’t there six months ago. Her body flows through choreography with skills that belie her age. The music lives in her, and dance is in her bones.
My mind flashes to Lucia’s expression at the Viper Room when stage lights illuminate Camille’s face as she walks onstage to curtsy to her adoring fans. She no longer shrinks from them. She shines.
Dance has pulled her out of her shell in a way only Lucia has been able to achieve. It’s given her a voice when she thought she had none and provided her with a place where she doesn’t have to speak to be understood.
I should be relieved she finished her routine without a hiccup. I am so proud I could burst, but the agitation burning in my chest refuses to slacken.
Something feels off.
Not with Camille. She’s safe and protected. With the boss of all bosses arriving in town to discuss the rules I’ve been fighting to change the past six months, the entire front row is filled with the who’s who of Cosa Nostra royalty. Even at a children’s recital, they came heavy. No one would dare touch Camille here, let alone breathe in her direction.
Yet something still feels wrong.
It creeps under my skin, and no matter how often I tell myself I’m imagining things, I can’t shake the feeling that something bad is coming.
When the show ends in applause for the dancers, I make my way backstage, weaving through parents, performers, and the bouquets my brothers bought from every florist in town.
Camille spots me before I reach her. Her eyes light up and her hands flutter excitedly as she prepares to launch herself into my arms.
I catch her midair and pull her close. “I’m so proud of you, stellina.” She grips the collar of my jacket when I say the words she’s dying to hear. “Lucia will be as well. Uncle Elio recorded the entire show. She won’t miss a single second of your performance.”
My family knows what Lucia means to me, so I was beyond pissed when my father explicitly said she couldn’t attend Camille’s recital. I understand we can’t be seen together, but canceling Camille’s invitation, which she’d worked on for hours, was a bitter pill to swallow. Even more so since Lucia has barely spoken a word to me all week.
Nannies attend events for the children they take care of all the time. It’s in the nanny handbook. My father simply didn’t believe my numerous claims that I could keep my hands to myself. How could he when he struggles to last longer than twenty minutes before peppering his wife-to-be’s neck with kisses?
I wouldn’t face the same battle since Lucia now looks at me like I’m a stranger she regrets meeting.
I have time to win her back. There are still four days until her contract officially ends. It’ll be an uphill battle since she sent the money to Edoardo. To the big fish, that signals a relationship. It tells them she still wants to associate with Edoardo.
I know she’s trapped in something dangerous she can’t untangle herself from, but until she comes clean with me, I can’t protect her from it. I can only watch from the sidelines and pray one day she’ll see that I’m not a remake of my competitors. I’m better than them. Stronger. I can keep her and her secrets safe.
When Camille leans in, I ground myself in what feels right. No matter how murky things get, one loving glance from Camille clears the mud enough that I can see through the mess.
For the first time this evening, I finally feel content… Then I see her.
Anna is standing a few feet away, smiling as if she has the right to be near my daughter after everything she did. Camille wasn’t sick last weekend because she spent the day before at various playgrounds with Lucia or because of anything she ate. It was because she mistook one of Anna’s addictions as a rite of passage all “big girls” need to face.
When she witnessed Anna downing mouthwash as if it were juice, she sneakily did the same.
The alcohol content of mouthwash is higher than that of wine, so the effects were immediate and brutal. Camille suffered from severe nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea for seven hours straight, and I was at her side the entire time.
I’m grateful she eventually told me the truth, but I’d be lying if I said it didn’t make me furious. A mother is meant to do everything in their power to protect their child.
Anna is too selfish to do that, and I’m done pretending otherwise.