I crouched down. She was only five, after all. The moment she saw me reach for the cake, the mischief on her face became impossible to hide. She even pulled out a spoon, popped open the cake box, and scooped a generous piece from the corner with the most blueberry jam, holding it right up to my lips.

"Mommy, let Carina feed you. Eat up!"

I leaned in close and smiled.

Then I flipped the cake over right in front of her, smashing it onto her favorite white leather shoes.

The girl froze for two seconds before bursting into wails. "You ruined the cake I worked so hard to pick out! You ugly witch! You big fat pig! Carina's mommy definitely won't praise me now..."

Dante rushed to clamp a hand over her mouth. His guilt lasted barely a second before he whipped around to berate me. "Have you lost your mind, Valentina? Your daughter picked out this cake especially for you. If you're angry, take it out on me. Why are you bullying a child?"

I stared at the dead fly stuck in the blueberry jam and let out a cold, mocking laugh. "A cake with a dead fly hidden inside. 'Especially for me' is right."

I didn't bother looking at the stiff expressions frozen on their faces. I stepped over the mess on the marble floor and walked into the study alone. The door shut behind me with a heavy click, and the silence of the room settled in — the kind of silence that only existed deep inside the Montecarlo Estate, where even the walls knew how to keep secrets.

Early the next morning, Dante had prepared a full breakfast spread. The kitchen smelled of espresso and fresh bread, and the morning light fell across the long dining table where my father had once held court with his Capos over Sunday meals.

When he saw me come out, he shot his daughter a look.

Carina immediately latched onto the hem of my shirt, eyes brimming with pitiful tears. "Mommy, I'm sorry. Yesterday was all Carina's fault. Please don't be mad. Please don't ignore me, okay?"

Before all this, seeing her like that, she wouldn't have even needed to open her mouth. I would've already caved, melted completely, ready to lay the whole world at her feet.

But now, staring at this face that overlapped with Serafina Conti's, all I could think about was the child I had never once laid eyes on.

Was she cold? Was she hungry?

Was she even... alive?