Page 71 of Of Lies and Shadows

“Yes, I’m angry,” I say, keeping my voice steady. “And when I say that, I don’t mean petty rage. I mean grief. I mourn the child I never got to be. I mourn the woman I could have become if I hadn’t been shaped by you and the men like you. No one comes into this world hoping for this. Hoping to survive by becoming silent. Obedient. Hollow.”

I step forward now, watching him flinch like he might strike me. I don't care.

“I would bleed myself dry if it meant sparing Lucia even a fraction of what I endured. If I can keep her a child just a little longer. If I can preserve something soft and sweet in this world of rot.”

I see him pale.

“So be careful, Father. You thought I was harmless because I had nothing to lose. But now I do. And if I fall,”—I lean in, my voice like a blade—“I will take you all with me.”

By the time I walk back into the main hall, my hands are still trembling. I’ve wiped them three times on my skirt, but it doesn’t help. The air feels thicker now, or maybe that’s just me struggling to breathe beneath the weight of what was just said.

Lucia runs up to me. “Cece! I saw a dragon.”

I crouch down, brushing a curl from her face as I giveher her food. “A dragon? Where?”

She turns and points across the room at a tall, glaring man in an ill-fitting suit. “That one. He looked like he wanted to eat everyone.”

I smile faintly and tuck the napkin she’s holding more securely. “Good eye, princess. That’s why you’re on guard tonight.”

She yawns dramatically, and I grab her forgotten snack and put it on a table. Her small arms wrap around my neck as I lift her up. Alessio trudges over, too, his energy finally fizzling out.

I glance toward the entrance, and there he is.

Dante walks back into the room, his eyes scanning until they land on me. He strides over slowly, calm and controlled.

“I’ll take them upstairs,” I say before he even reaches us.

He stops in front of me, gaze flicking to the twins, then back to me. “Come back down when they’re asleep.”

“No,” I reply simply.

He looks like he wants to argue. His jaw flexes, and his nostrils flare. But after a beat, he just nods.

I don’t wait for anything more. I carry Lucia in one arm, take Alessio’s hand with the other, and climb the stairs without looking back.

Upstairs, the sound of the party dims to a muffled thrum, fading behind the thick doors and quiet hallways. The energy of the evening drains from the twins as we move. Lucia rests her head on my shoulder, already half-asleep, her tiny fingers curled in the fabric of my blouse.

“Go get ready for bed,” I murmur to Alessio as I pass byhis room. “I’ll be right there.”

Lucia doesn’t stir when I lay her on her bed. I gently change her from her dress into her pajamas, careful not to wake her. She mumbles something about dragons and cookies, lips barely moving, eyes still closed. I tuck the covers up to her chin and kiss her forehead.

“I love you, princess,” I whisper, brushing a stray curl from her cheek.

Then I move to Alessio’s room. He’s already curled under his blanket, eyes wide in the dim glow of the nightlight.

“Too tight?” I ask, tucking him in.

He yawns, then shakes his head. “Just right.”

I crouch beside him, brushing his messy hair back from his forehead. He looks up at me with those too-wise eyes, his voice barely a breath.

“Cece?”

“Mm-hmm?”

“Are you gonna stay with us forever?”

The question lodges in my chest like a splinter. For a moment, I can’t answer.

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