Chapter 17 Hearing Lies, Feeling Alone

• (POV: Isabela)
• The awful cracking sound seemed to hang in the air, even over the music. Flavio Rossi’s choked cry, the quick way he was taken away… it kept replaying in my mind. So did Mateo’s calm, empty face. My legs felt shaky. The fancy ballroom seemed to sway, like a ship in a bad storm. Mateo’s cold look after it happened – that silent, deliberate way he showed me he knew I saw – was burned into my memory. This wasn't just a story I heard. This wasn't his reputation. This was real, right now, terrifying.
• I needed to get away. Away from all the watching eyes, the fake smiles, the man who could break bones like breaking a pencil. I turned, wanting to hide, maybe pretend I had a headache and go back to my room. But then a hand grabbed my arm hard, making me jump badly.