A woman with nothing to lose.
She's the most dangerous thing in the world.
I think about Gemma staring at the knives.
About the empty look in her eyes.
About how she said she'd already faded away.
And for the first time since I brought her to Adrian, I'm truly afraid.
Not of her.
For her.
Because Marcello's right.
I broke her.
And I don't know how to fix what I've destroyed.
Or if it can even be fixed at all.
CHAPTER 21
Gemma
I'm trying.
That's what I tell myself every morning when I wake up.
I'm trying to be good.
Good means quiet.
Good means compliant.
Good means not causing problems.
Good means being what they want.
A perfect wife. An obedient daughter-in-law. A Marini.
Not a Nero.
Never a Nero again.
I can do this. I can be this.
Even if it's killing me.
"Gemma."
Saint's voice pulls me from wherever I was. I wasn't sleeping. I don't really sleep anymore. Just... drift.
"Yes?"
"I made you breakfast." He's holding a tray that contains pancakes, fruit, yogurt, and coffee. "Let's eat together. You can make fun of my shitty cooking."
