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“Lorenzo, don’t you dare,” I retorted hotly.

“When was the last time you sent her money? Is it the same amount every month or different?” His matter-of-fact tone told me I could argue until my voice cracked; he was still going to do it.

“Maybe she had some unexpected issues, or her electricity bill was higher than normal,” I countered because that was always what I told myself.

“Maybe, maybe not. I’ll let you know when I find out.” He turned my face to him with a finger under my chin. “You have a kind heart with a steel backbone. But even steel bends when it's under too much weight.”

I didn’t have it in me to fight him. Even if I did, I wasn’t sure I wanted to. He was right to question what Mom was spending money on. She told me she needed it because they were struggling with bills. If she was being reckless with it, then I needed to put an end to the Bank of Serena.

“She’s bad with money, and my stepdad was struggling to find a job until recently. I’ve been helping her pay the bills since I could work at seventeen.” I let him know because I did have a backbone and had boundaries with money and my mom. I had to. “Opened my own account the day I turned eighteen at a different bank so she couldn’t get to the money I made while I was at school. She wasn’t happy, but when I started sending checks, she stopped yelling about it.”

Enzo’s face darkened as I told him more about my relationship with my mother. Was I embarrassed that my mom used me like an ATM? A little. It was the way she was talking, like I owed her for giving me the basics.

Was it toxic? Yeah. It was also the reason why Harper had no relationship with her and why I barely did. She was on the periphery of our life. We both knew it was better this way.

I didn’t want to get into how Mom cleaned out the money I saved for college. How that broke me and was the nail in the coffin that forced me to create boundaries with her. It would devolve into my compulsion to work, and how I knew how quickly money could disappear

“Is there anything else you want to commandeer while we’re at it?” I asked, exhaustion seeping into me again.

I did everything for myself, by myself. Getting a car, college, or apartment hunting—every decision had my name alone on it. There was never anyone to share a decision with or ask for their opinion.

There was a not-so-insignificant weight that lifted off my shoulders at the idea of having someone there, in the trenches with me every day. For someone else to worry with me.

Could I let the reins loose? Not fight him at every turn?

I wasn’t sure, but I wanted to try.

“Not at the moment. I’m sure I’ll find something else.” He took my empty plate, washed it, and put it in the dishwasher. “Come on. You look ready to drop where you stand.”

I couldn’t even argue. It was a struggle to keep my eyes open.

He could have this one. When he found something, it would be hard not to take over, but I would try.

I headed back to my room. Each step felt like I was being dragged underwater. Exhaustion weighed me down, like it did every night at this time, reminding me that no matter what eight hours of sleep was a pipedream.

When the bed magically appeared in front of me, I face-planted.

Enzo muttered words under his breath, none of which I understood because he did it in Italian, and pulled the covers over me, tucking me into bed.

“Sleep, amuri miu.” He walked to the door, stopping with his hand on the frame. “You’re a good mom, Serena. Harper is a smart, caring girl. You should be proud of how much you two love each other.”

I fell asleep with those words ringing in my head.

CHAPTER 19

Enzo

“Did you listen to anything I said?” Rafael threw a crumpled piece of paper at my head.

“Yes,” I lied. I hadn’t heard a word since he started talking. All I could think about was Serena. Kissing her was life-altering, not that I expected anything less.

The reality was so much more.

I was a planner. It was why it took me so long to make a move on Serena. The circumstances had to be just right.

They weren’t now, but everything was still falling perfectly into place.

I’d thought about kissing Serena, among other things I imagined doing to her body, a near shameful amount.