Chapter 3

Leo lunges at the table and knocks the ring onto the floor.

"Liar! You said I was your only kid!"

I reach for him without thinking.

He shoves my hand away. "Stop pretending. The second you heard that sickly little brat was coming, your whole face lit up."

"I called you Mom last night. Were you laughing at me the whole time? Liar!"

My hand freezes in midair.

Lorenzo pulls Leo against his side and sighs.

"He actually cares about you. And all you care about is money, power, and being the Donna of this family."

"Now you’re practically drooling over Nico right in front of him. Of course he’s upset."

Leo clutches his father’s sleeve.

"Dad, I don’t want him here. This is my house. Mine and my mom’s. And you’re my dad."

"Why does that little bastard get to take it all?"

His house. His mom. His dad. Ten years of raising him, and I’m not even on the list.

To him, I’m just the scheming snake who slithered into his mother’s place.

Lorenzo strokes his hair. "Nobody’s taking anything from you. Nico’s only staying a few days."

I bend down, pick up the ring, and set it next to Lorenzo’s hand.

"You’re right. There’s no place for Nico in this house."

"A few days is already more than we deserve. We should be grateful."

Lorenzo’s jaw tightens. He hears the edge in my voice.

But one look at my gaunt face, and his anger drains away.

Leo realizes Nico is still coming and cries even harder.

"I don’t care! It’s him or me!"

Lorenzo frowns. "Leo, stop it. She promised she’d never put her own kid ahead of you."

That finally settles Leo down a little.

He looks at me, smug. "So when the sick kid’s here, are you still throwing my birthday party? Still baking for me?"

In this house, Leo comes second only to Lorenzo. I wouldn’t dare say no to him.

I nod.

He smirks. "Then he doesn’t get to eat anything I eat."

I’m quiet for a long moment. Then I nod again.

At the door, Lorenzo turns back.

"Ava, bringing Nico here is me making it up to you. Don’t push your luck."

I watch him go. "Don’t worry. I’ve learned not to hope for anything."

The next day, I scrub the guest house from top to bottom.

I don’t even know what Nico likes. So I pull out every piece of clothing I’ve secretly sewn for him over the past seven years.

One for every birthday I missed, from his first to his seventh. Every piece folded neatly.

Most of them won’t fit him anymore. I still can’t bring myself to throw a single one away.

Rosa, my maid, blinks back tears. "Seven years. You finally get to see him."

A cold laugh comes from the doorway.

Leo is standing there, staring at the bed covered in little clothes.

"And you say you don’t play favorites? You’ve been making all this for him behind my back."

He snatches the jacket off the top of the pile. "This is my favorite color. That bastard doesn’t deserve it."

I don’t have the strength to fight him. I just stand there and let him trash the room until he storms out.

The day Nico arrives, he stops outside the door, too scared to come in.

He asks, so carefully, "The nanny said I’m not allowed to call you Mom. But when nobody’s around... can I say it just once?"

The tears I’ve been holding back nearly spill over. "Yes, baby. You can."

He leans in close and whispers it in my ear. "Mom."

I’ve waited seven years to hear that word.

Nico’s health is fragile. He hasn’t been standing long before he starts to wheeze.

I help him change into new clothes. Then I take out a little silver locket with a photo of the two of us inside, and a hard case with his name engraved on it.

Inside is his rescue inhaler.

If his chest ever tightens up at night, two puffs and he’ll be okay.

Nico runs his fingers over the locket, his eyes shining.

"You got this for me, Mom? I’m gonna wear it forever!"

The words are barely out of his mouth when the front door is kicked open.

Leo walks in with two of the younger guards behind him.

He takes one look at what Nico’s wearing, and his face changes.

"Take it off."

Nico shrinks behind me.

Leo grabs him by the collar. "That’s made from the fabric I threw out last year. You think you get to wear my trash?"