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I glance toward the bathroom. "Hey, Allison!" I call out.
She steps briefly into view, giving me a cheerful smile. "Oh, hi, Mr. Matthews! How's everything?"
"Great, Allison, thanks for being here," I reply, keeping my tone light.
"No problem! This place is wonderful, and I've been having the best time with Jaime and Marie. By the way, is there a little boy out here who needs a bath?" she teases, raising an eyebrow.
I give Jaime a playful look. "Yeah, he's going," I say.
Jaime huffs dramatically, rolling his eyes. "Okay, okay," he grumbles, clearly not thrilled, but he gets up and trudges toward the bathroom.
"Thanks," Allison says, retreating back into the bathroom as Jaime drags his feet toward her, looking like he's heading to his doom.
I chuckle softly. "Go on," I say gently.
Jaime sighs one last time before disappearing into the bathroom, leaving me and Marie alone.
Marie pats the spot on the couch beside her. "Come sit with me."
I do as she asks, sinking into the plush cushions beside her. She studies me for a moment, her gaze filled with the kind of wisdom that only comes with age. "How are you really?" she asks.
I hesitate; my first instinct is to deflect. "Uhh… I'm fine."
"No, you're not," she says softly but firmly. The silence between us stretches for a moment as I try to figure out how much to say. I can't tell her the truth—she'd worry too much. But I can't lie, either.
"Is it about Nicole? Jaime keeps talking about her."
I pause, feeling the weight of her question. "Yeah… she left. It's been rough on both of us."
Marie nods sympathetically. "That's too bad. The way Jaime talks about her, she seems like she made a good impression on you two."
"She did," I admit, memories of Nicole flashing through my mind—the way she smiled, the way she cared for Jaime, the way she made everything feel just a little bit better.
Marie watches me carefully. "Too bad. You know better than anyone we could use some positive additions to the family." She pauses, then asks gently, "Is she gone for good?"
"I don't know," I say honestly, my voice low. "There's a small chance she might come back, but it's complicated. She's gotten herself into a bit of a mess."
Marie raises an eyebrow, her eyes sharp with concern. "Well, you did everything you could, right? I mean, you wouldn't be sitting here, wasting time talking to me, if the love of your life was out there and you knew you could get her back, would you?"
I don't say anything, but her words hit me hard. She's right. I sit there for a moment, her genuine smile comforting, yet pushing me to face the truth.
"Okay," I mutter to myself and to her, nodding as if to reaffirm the decision already forming in my mind. "Yeah. I'll bring her back."
Chapter 30
Nicole
I listen to Raffaele go over his plan again, searching for any gaps, any opportunity to turn the tables. I’ve played along, nodding and pretending to understand. I’ve promised him I’ll do whatever it takes to free Gio, and I will—even if it means killing Raffaele myself.
Tommaso, one of Raffaele’s most loyal men, enters the room. “He’s here,” Tom says, his voice clipped.
Raffaele straightens, a smirk playing on his lips. “Alright.” He turns to me. “Come on, Nicola. There’s someone you need to meet.”
“What’s going on?” I ask, keeping my voice even.
“Dino. My connection in Le Ombre. He wants a sit-down,” Raffaele explains, eyeing me carefully.
“Why does he need to meet me?”