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Andrei looks at me, studying me for another minute. He holds it out. “You should keep it then.”

I freeze.

It’s clear to me that he absolutely knows what’s in the bottle. It’s also clear to me that, despite that, he’s offering it to me anyway.

I look at the bottle in his hand, then look back up at him.

“You’d give this to me?” I whisper.

He nods. “Everyone should be able to use the gifts their mother left behind for them.”

His voice is so quiet, I almost don’t hear it. However, his answer confirms what I suspected.

Slowly, I take the bottle. Andrei nods, turning to head back to where my father is still yelling somewhere in the house.

“Moretti,” I say to his back.

He freezes and turns. “Yes?”

“Thank you. For this. And Paulo,” I whisper.

His eyes glitter, ever so slightly. “It was nothing, Marisol. I am your guard, after all.”

Then, he slips away.

I stare at the space he occupied for a minute. My mother’s words creep back into my mind.That boy wants to be more than just your father’s guard dog.

Suddenly, I have a terrible feeling that I know exactly what that means.

Even more terrible, I realize that at some point, I’ll have to address it. Because right now, if I use this weakness to my advantage, I’ll be manipulating Andrei Moretti.

Men like him do not take kindly to manipulation. And honestly, I’m not very good at it.

But if I tell him that I don’t feel that way about him…

I shudder.

He’s dangerous. Too dangerous. And who knows, maybe this could be a good thing.

Dino isn’t coming for me. I have to let that go.

Moretti, however, he’s here. He’s already kept me safe once.

Perhaps he would do it again. Maybe I could…

I shut my eyes. My heart feels heavy. No matter what, I’m in a position I don’t like. Nothing is as it should be.

I just want to get back to my girls. I need to figure out the fastest path to do that. Many women before me have pretended to be a happy wife for their own safety.

Maybe I need to do that as well.

10

MARISOL

It takes a few days,but once everyone settles down after the disappearance of my mom, life seems almost… normal.

In the sense that I’m nearly completely invisible to my father.