ella

sisted on accompanying me to that disastrous dinner, wrapped her arms around me, her own teeth chattering uncontrollab

Falcone family hauled us into the back seat. They didn't offer blankets or apologies. Instead, they lit cheap cigarettes, the smo

the driver muttered, flicking ash out the cracked window. "Called Dr. Si

snorted. "And

ateral. As long as she's br

have shattered me, but instead, they acted as a final, brutal clarification. The last fragile threa

rth did little to thaw the ice in my veins. Lucia was rubbing my bl

sweet scent of it was nauseating against the medicinal eucalyptus oil Lucia had prepared. Livia looked t

mpathy. "Julian was just so worried about me. He insisted the doctor check my vitals befo

ching slightly in anticipa

en, desperate, and entirely dependent on a man's fick

id, my voice steady and entirely devoid o

my eyes threw her off balance. She had come for a

acade. Her gaze darted around the room, landing o

they blocked your painting light." She took a slow sip of her chocolate, her eyes locking onto mine with venomous triumph. "But Julian told the gardeners to leave

asn't a hobby; it was my father's legacy, my soul, the only piece of Isabella Rossi I had l

n this house, my identity

e chilling clarity from the blizzard solidifying into an