Chapter One Hundred and Sixty Five

Benji

I fucked up.

I seriously fucked up.

I had anticipated my father would linger at Giovanni's for a considerable time, as his meetings typically consumed three to four hours. However, to my surprise, he emerged in less than thirty-eight minutes, his presence barely registering in the atmosphere.

Bambi is to be confined to her room like a fragile secret, and she is not permitted to step outside its confines unless she receives explicit permission or instruction from him.

I count myself fortunate that he didn't catch sight of her perched at our table, an incongruous figure that didn't belong, her expression a mask of stoic rudeness. She sat there, unblinking, as if waiting for a moment that would quite possibly come—a silent figure at the scene of our family's strained dynamics, unwillingly poised to greet the man who holds dominion over her life.

As I watched him scan the room with an inscrutable gaze, I felt a wave of unease wash over me. He turned sharply on his heel and exited