Chapter 30

• Rafaella closed her eyes, her hand holding the bow poised over the strings of the violin. She took a deep breath before the bow touched the strings, and she lost herself in the music. Her fingers pressed against the strings as she let the bow rub against them. The melody was soulful, even melancholic.
• She felt the familiar stirring in her soul as the notes flew from the wood and string in her hands, and she swayed as she took another deep breath. The burden on her shoulders felt so heavy that she hadn’t been able to play anything light for days.
• As the final note died down, she opened her eyes, looking at her father standing in the doorway. He seemed pensive, almost apologetic. She knew what was coming. She probably shouldn’t have eavesdropped on him, but she had, and now she knew her fate.