Chapter 99

• Francesco
• ...she was like a child again. Giggling excitedly, she did her hair and makeup too. That image of her is ingrained in my memory. It was a version of her I hadn’t seen since she lost everything," he continued. “You know she’s always put up this brave front. Always acted tough and hard, and to see her be happy that day, truly happy. That’s how I like to remember her. I see her in the moment again, and that’s how I can forget her lying down on those stone steps in a pool of her own blood.”
• My jaw hardened as I pictured the image he had painted. Tears welled up in my eyes, but I looked away to hide them from him. I hadn’t shown weakness in front of him. How did I expect him to be strong if I was so weak?