Chapter 5
I looked at him.
“You had a sister?”
“Her name was Sofia.”
The name seemed to change the air around him.
“What happened to her?”
“She disappeared.”
“How old was she?”
“Twenty-two.”
“And my mother knew her?”
“They were best friends.”
I almost laughed, not because it was funny, but because it was impossible.
My mother had never mentioned anyone named Sofia Moretti. She had never spoken about wealthy families, private promises, or men with guarded mansions.
She had worked in laundries, restaurant kitchens, and hospital cafeterias. She had clipped coupons at our kitchen table and saved coins in an old jam jar.
“You’re mistaken,” I said.
“I knew Elena Rossi.”
“There are many women with that name.”
“Not with that locket.”
He paused.
“And not with your eyes.”
I stepped backward.
It was such a strange thing to say that for a moment I could not answer.
“My mother’s eyes were brown.”
“I wasn’t speaking of her.”
A chill moved through me.
“Then whose?”
Victor looked toward Lily.
Before he could reply, the doctor interrupted.
“Her temperature is down another half degree.”
I rushed back to the sofa.
Lily opened her eyes and stared at me through heavy lashes.
“There you are,” I whispered.
Her tiny hand rose and caught one strand of my hair.
The motion was weak, but it was familiar. Normal.
I kissed her fingers.
The doctor encouraged her to drink. She managed only a little before turning her face away, but it was enough to make him nod.
“She’s improving.”
The room loosened around me.
May you like
For the first time that night, I allowed myself to breathe.
Victor remained by the counter.
