THE MAFIA BOSS WATCHED ME SWITCH OFF THE MICROPHONE WHILE HIS TEN-YEAR-OLD SON STOOD CRYING IN FRONT OF THIRTY DINNER GUESTS—THEN HIS FIANCÉE SAID
Chapter 1 – THE TRUTH IN A MOTHER’S VOICE
Luca’s question hung in the air, heavy and absolute.
Thirty wealthy guests sat completely frozen in their chairs.
No one reached for their wine.
No one ad…
TAKE THAT OLD APRON OFF HER! SHE’S NOT A SERVANT ANYMORE, AND YOU’RE MAKING HER LOOK PATHETIC!” THE MAFIA BOSS’S FIANCÉE HUMILIATED HIS 25-YEAR-OLD MAID FOR HELPING HIS 78-YEAR-OLD MOTHER AT DINNER
Chapter 1 – THE MAN BESIDE THE EMPTY CHAIR
The silence in the dining room was absolute.
Forty of Chicago’s most powerful people sat completely frozen around the banquet table, their crystal wine gla…
THE SISTER, THE MISTRESS, AND THE STOLEN HEIRLOOM
Chapter 1 – THE PRICE OF A SISTER’S BETRAYAL
The crystal chandelier above us seemed to dim as all twenty-five members of the Moretti family stared at my younger sister.
Rebecca’s hands were shaking …
SERVE HER AN EMPTY PLATE! MAYBE THEN SHE’LL LEARN SHE CAN’T KEEP LIVING OFF MY FUTURE HUSBAND!” THE MAFIA BOSS’S FIANCÉE HUMILIATED HIS 25-YEAR-OLD MAID FOR FEEDING HIS ESTRANGED SISTER AT THEIR ENGAGEMENT DINNER
Chapter 1 – THE PHOTOGRAPH THAT DESTROYED HER LIES
The dining room of the Moretti mansion fell into a suffocating silence.
Forty wealthy guests stopped breathing. The clinking of crystal glasses cea…
THE MAFIA BOSS WATCHED ME PLACE A SOFT PINK SCARF OVER HIS NINE-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER’S BARE HEAD DURING HIS ENGAGEMENT DINNER—THEN HIS FIANCÉE SAI
Chapter 1 – THE MAFIA BOSS WATCHED HIS DAUGHTER CRY
“Put that scarf away, Rachel.”
Vanessa Bellini’s voice cut across the dining table.
I froze beside nine-year-old Sophie Moretti’s chair.
The lit…
STOP HOLDING HER HAND! SHE’S NOT A BABY, AND I’M NOT LETTING HER RUIN MY ENGAGEMENT DINNER!” THE MAFIA BOSS’S FIANCÉE HUMILIATED HIS 25-YEAR-OLD MAID FOR HELPING HIS ELDERLY MOTHER COUNT THE EMPTY CHAIRS
Chapter 1 – THE LAWYER’S BROKEN PROMISE
Frank carefully set his crystal wine glass on the table.
He didn’t look at Luca. He looked at Vanessa.
“Luca, your mother is exhausted,” Frank said smoothly,…
YOU DON’T OWN THE NAME JUST BECAUSE YOUR BABY NEVER GOT TO USE IT.
Chapter 1 – YOU DON’T OWN THE NAME JUST BECAUSE YOUR BABY NEVER GOT TO USE IT
I dropped the little silver spoon I’d been holding.
Charlotte.
The name I’d whispered to my baby twenty-three years ago…
WHERE WERE YOU TAKING OUR LITTLE GIRL?
Chapter 1 – WHERE WERE YOU TAKING OUR LITTLE GIRL?
“You can clear the table, Emma. Vanessa will sit with the family.”
My mafia husband said it in front of twenty-three relatives—but his 83-year-old …
PUT THE DIAMOND ON HER FINGER AND TELL LUCA SHE SAID YES! OR YOUR MOTHER WILL LOSE HER HOME!” THE MAFIA BOSS’S FIANCÉE THREATENED HIS 25-YEAR-OLD MAID IN FRONT OF FIFTY DINNER GUESTS—
Chapter 1 – The Secret Hidden In The Hem
Luca’s hand remained perfectly still over Isabella’s trembling fingers.
The silence in the dining room was so absolute I could hear the rain lashing against …
THE MAFIA BOSS WATCHED ME TIE MY BLACK CARDIGAN AROUND HIS TWELVE-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER’S WAIST DURING HIS ENGAGEMENT DINNER—THEN HIS FIANCÉE SAID, “SHE SPILLED CRANBERRY JUICE ALL OVER HERSELF
Chapter 1 – THE LIST IN THE BLUE NOTEBOOK
Luca didn’t raise his voice.
He didn’t need to.
“Grace, take my daughter upstairs.”
His eyes never left his fiancée’s pale face.
I immediately wrapped my…