Page 133 of Hidden Echoes

He just crossed his arms.

"Why now?" His voice was firm.

Laura blinked, processing the question. "Why what?"

"If you helped Mia escape, why are you only showing up now?"

I felt the tension between them. I knew Zane was just trying to protect me, but Laura didn’t deserve his suspicion.

"Because my father was watching me," she answered simply. "And because I needed to be sure that if I reached out to her again, I wouldn’t be putting either of us in danger."

Zane didn’t respond immediately. He was studying her, searching for something only he could see.

"You trust her?" he finally asked, without taking his eyes off Laura.

I squeezed her hand tightly.

"With my life."

Laura glanced down at our joined hands, and this time, a small, almost imperceptible smile appeared.

"You were never good with metaphors," she murmured, and I knew that despite the years, we were still the same girls, just trying to survive together.

Then a voice cut through the air, sharp and edged with suspicion.

"You think I didn't notice your psychopath husband hiding?" Zane growls, his voice low and lethal. "I don't trust you."

But instead of reacting with alarm, Laura just smiles, as if her husband's presence is the most natural thing in the world.

"Pietro, step out. You're scaring them," she says lightly. "I told you I'd be fine."

The shadow moves. Pietro Barone steps into the light, and I see what Zane already has—what he noticed the second he laid eyes on him. This man is no ordinary presence. His sharp gaze assesses us with precise calculation. His broad shoulders and rigid posture radiate control, discipline. He isn’t here for casual conversation.

"I'm just looking after my wife," Pietro says, his voice calm but unshakable.

"I'm not scared," I reply in a soft tone, stepping forward to study him at my own pace.

Pietro doesn’t seem like someone easily intimidated, but I also don’t sense hostility—only extreme vigilance.

Then, I turn to Laura with a thoughtful tilt of my head.

"Does he like hugs?"

Laura laughs, a light, unexpected sound in the midst of the tension.

"Not really."

I nod. "Good to know. Boundaries, after all."

Pietro watches me for a moment before extending a hand in a formal gesture.

"I'm Mia Hill," I introduce myself with an easy, diplomatic tone. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Barone."

As he shakes my hand, I see the shift in his expression—the exact moment he recognizes what Zane already has. My posture, my tone, the unwavering eye contact. The way I carry myself isn’t natural. It’s learned. Crafted.

I was trained to speak this way. To move this way.

I was raised to be a mafia princess.

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