Marco showed up, and I dismissed myself from the study.My hands shook as I gripped the edges of the photograph on the entryway table by the front door.The family resemblance between Catrina and Enrico was undeniable—the same sharp jawline, the same piercing eyes.How did I miss this?
The one person I believed was separate from all of this—my world, his world—had been part of it all along.My best friend.My only friend.An imposter.The lies coiled through my veins, and all I could think was how easily she’d laughed with me, confided in me, toasted with me, held my secrets like they meant something.How long did she think she could keep it up?Eventually, I would have wanted to know more about her life.I would have asked questions.But I was too wrapped up in my own chaos to see what had been right in front of me.I should’ve known better.In this world, everyone wears a mask.
I might as well explore my new “home” while I worked up the nerve to face her.I couldn’t avoid her forever.She lived here… for now.Now that Enrico was married, surely she’d be moving out soon.Right?
The kitchen was massive.Marble counters, a row of copper pots hung above a spotless stove.I opened cupboards until I found the coffee pods and loaded the machine.Small victories.
“Morning.”
Her voice.My stomach dropped.I didn’t turn around.Not right away.Maybe if I stood perfectly still, she’d vanish.No such luck.
“How could you?”I said finally, the words sharp enough to slice through the air.
Catrina’s breath hitched.When I turned, her usually composed face was crumbling—eyes wide, lip trembling, guilt written in every line.She reached for me, but I stepped back, coffee forgotten.
“Mia, I—” she started, voice breaking.“I’m so sorry.Enrico asked me to befriend you.To keep an eye on you.”
The words hit like shrapnel.“Keep an eye on me?”I spat, tasting bitterness on my tongue.“For what?Was I your project?Some kind of charity case?This whole charade was a big fucking lie.”
“It wasn’t like that at first.I swear.He was just… protective.Suspicious of everyone around you.He wanted to make sure you were safe.But—” she choked on the word—“but then I started to care about you.You became my friend.That part was real.I’ve never had a real friend before.They usually only want to hang out because of my name.You didn’t give two shits about that.And that’s why we clicked immediately.”
“How much of my life has he manipulated?”I whispered.“How much has he touched without me knowing?I need to fucking know.”
“Mia, please.”Catrina’s eyes shimmered, desperate.“I should’ve told you sooner, I know that.But I was afraid—of losing you, of what Enrico would do if I disobeyed him.”
I laughed, a sound that cracked at the edges.“Afraid of what he’d do to you or to me?”
Her throat worked before she answered.“Both.”
That landed like a punch.For a long moment, neither of us moved.The only sound was the coffee dripping steadily into the cup, filling the room with the smell of roasted beans and betrayal.
“Well, congratulations,” I said finally, voice icy.“You played your part perfectly in his twisted little game.”
“Mia—”
“No.”My voice rose.“You don’t get to ‘Mia’ me right now.I trusted you.I told you things I didn’t tell anyone.And the whole time, you were spying on me?”
Her shoulders sagged, all the fight gone.“If I could take it back, I would.I swear to you, I never wanted to hurt you.”
“Too late.”I muttered, grabbing the coffee cup just to have something to hold on to.The heat burned my fingers, grounding me.
Catrina hesitated, her voice small now.“He only wanted to protect you.Lily… she never cared for you the way I do.”
My body went cold.
“What did you just say?”I turned slowly, cup clinking against the counter.“What do you know about Lily?”
Catrina froze, realizing too late what she’d revealed.
“What do you mean?”
Her lips parted, but no words came.The silence between us said enough.
Lily.My childhood best friend.The one person who had known me before I was a commodity, before I belonged to anyone.She’d died in a car accident years ago.
My stomach lurched.“He did something to her, didn’t he?”
Catrina’s eyes filled again.“He did what he thought was necessary.”
