PTE

e on th

who was buried

he messa

rearrange themselves into something les

did

t was stained with blood, his expression unreadable. He looked like a man who had spent his entire life

ed in your pl

't turn

el

o say my name like that anymore. Not when every time I ask you a

w tigh

long, trembling streaks. We had left the estate less than an hour ago. Alessandro had refused

n't a

use I tr

d that the people hunting my husband

frightened me mor

r me,"

o finally

fire sixtee

now

t they told you about th

partly to keep t

ied in that fire. And now you're telling me

have always been more useful

t, neither

lose when I couldn't sleep, who knew I hated the dark but never laughed at me for it, who once sat

ro had been g

h tenderness were another weak

d in your plac

at the phon

you get tha

it m

es

hy

way to reach you, then we're

e. It was subtle, almost invisible, but I saw it. A tighten

e

er. Not

e

was dead,"

ieved

hat you said

aze d

e'd spoken when Luca ste

d have st

e in his voice then. Only

he was ali

ne had been u

a small enough detail to l

ur marriage was never suppo

here was nothing

nt. As if I wasn't the woman you stood in front of your entire family and promised to protec

ng to keep

ying

rom things you weren't

ed towa

to decide what

that night, he look

t made m

mo

y supposedly dead father. I remembered the years I'd spent grieving a

ed to my fat

dro loo

was whe

have started the fire. But he knew something, and

e," I w

upposed to meet so

ho

M

seemed

were

seven

never t

ould

or didn't

face, wincing when the mo

g that could have destroyed everything my father had built. He

red a

me

around you. Neither did I, not completely. But I knew your fa

happ

en I came back, the fir

my fa

him leave t

settled

questions. Instead, one

try to

dn't answer q

st tig

d y

es

you tell me

veryone sa

sn't an

only one

ead. "You're

rd me, but I

was barely three feet.

ever Luca tells you, don't

ould beli

N

stopp

ss was beginning to show in the pallor of his face. He looked li

s," he said. "You should find out

im, searching

you help

ou deserve

it dest

to something that w

ially

, I wanted to cross the

my husband beneath all the lies, a man who had

uldn't tell the difference between a confe

rned

e is

n't k

e'll fi

N

d back

use

going anywh

really haven't been li

is dan

are

tate to use yo

he alre

dro wen

across his face, and somethin

?" I

thi

on

for a long momen

ng to you before h

in his eyes. The way he'd looked at me as if he were s

you about the person

hing

sita

ed me Is

ost what little col

Be

bel

called me that when he was serious. Valentina used it when she wante

with the same str

that mean

wn slowly on the

ou Isabella when he wanted

mber

n't k

a terrib

kno

uiet that I had no

jacket and pulled out a s

ather's study three d

ld it

it ca

. A single sentence had been written

the girl must never be allo

d it

n a

r of what?

ro looke

d Luca disappeared

ightened aro

r disap

u d

remembe

eight ye

r being missing

eak for almost a week. Your father told ev

ying to force the m

ard

ll of w

aughing b

ng mine so ti

a d

cked

y fingers t

" I wh

as beside me

el

t tou

fro

o hold on to the fragments

ad been

s face streaked with tears. I remembered tel

ice, low and urgent,

which one came b

s flew

ned to me t

ked as though

need you t

wer

know ev

know so

wall

When you returned, he insisted that nobody discuss those eleven

hy

n't k

t me to be

ect you to

d to sl

d away and walke

my life. Somewhere out there, a man who was supposed to be d

w enough about tha

the grave

o frowned

your place. If you were declared dead

dn't

ssan

t go ther

hy

t happened, someone has been watc

have something

hind his eyes. The commands. The threats. The fami

pectedly,

in

lin

in

o one from the family, an

y n

onger know whos

e more than anyth

side me at my wedding. She had held me when I cried over my fath

d shot A

n at the pap

ething writte

noticed i

da

ust

aller handwriting

g boy ca

began t

ssan

ed at t

he didn't se

id you g

ave it

lowly. "I mean, where did

he paper o

but the handwriti

athe

ugust 14?

d for the paper.

on

give i

me what

if it were a weapon point

s the day Luc

m wh

hospi

red a

e he died i

ht. They found a body in the r

d t

, Luca walked thro

m went

se of it, but the p

dy did your fa

o's eyes

at I've spent sixteen y

nd came from

e kn

l

ibe

the back of his trousers. He pushed me behind him, his

re," he

, I didn

toward

three

voice came th

Open the do

ent

ro glanc

ok my

here we were. We hadn't even to

e find us?"

dn't

er to the door and spo

do you

what Bel

od ran

ighed on th

u told her abo

rip tightened

old yo

pa

ing that made the floor se

dro. I was there the night yo

d at th

went comple

alentina b

You have to let me explain

ldn't

dn't b

tening question wasn't who had b

married had ever been the b

s, everyone seemed so despera