Chapter 2

Early the next morning, the butler informed me that Matteo had specifically mentioned he'd be home that evening to make Halloween masks with Ella.

Ella was over the moon and immediately dragged me out to buy supplies for the masks.

The mall was decked out for the holiday, with Halloween decorations everywhere, and Ella could hardly decide where to look first.

As we passed a store, she spotted a string of ghost-shaped fairy lights and pointed at them excitedly.

"Mommy, I want those!"

She rushed over and picked up the lights, but the very next second, a little boy grabbed the other end.

"I want these lights!"

Just as the two children began fighting over them, a woman standing nearby spoke up.

"Enzo, a gentleman always knows how to be polite."

Her familiar voice rang in my ears, and I recognized it immediately.

It was the she-wolf from last night's phone call.

I turned to face her. She was already smiling at me, her expression practically dripping with triumph.

Enzo Wolfe, her pup, clutched the string of lights against his chest and tugged it toward himself.

"No! I want these!"

Then he burst into tears.

Ella's eyes grew red, too, but she stubbornly refused to let go.

Just then, Matteo came rushing in from outside. He strode straight toward us and immediately scooped up the crying Enzo.

"What's wrong? Why are you crying? Who upset you?"

He was so busy wiping Enzo's tears that he didn't even notice Ella and me standing right in front of him.

It felt as though something had ripped through my chest. The pain was so sharp that I could barely breathe.

Ella looked up at him, her eyes red-rimmed.

"Daddy!"

Matteo froze. He lowered his head, finally noticing her, and stared at her in surprise.

"Ella? What are you doing here?"

Only then did he turn toward me. After a moment's hesitation, he gently set Enzo down and cleared his throat.

"Freya, let me introduce you. This is Laura Wolfe and her son, Enzo. They're the friends I told you about yesterday."

Laura kept smiling as she gave me a slight nod.

I dug my nails into my palm and forced myself to keep my voice calm.

"Oh. I thought you were busy today."

"I…"

Matteo had barely begun to answer when Enzo wrapped his arms around his leg and pointed at the string of lights.

"Daddy, I want those!"

Ella's eyes were still red, and her lower lip trembled as she clung to the other end of the lights. The string dug into her palm, leaving angry red marks.

"But I saw them first!"

Matteo crouched down, his expression softening.

Before he could say anything, Enzo threw himself into Matteo's arms and burst into another fit of tears.

Holding Enzo close, Matteo reached over and gently patted Ella on the head.

"Ella, sweetheart, be a good girl. You're the big sister, so you should let this little boy have them."

My heart lurched.

In an instant, I was transported back to when I was eight years old. My father had said those exact same words to me.

And all those years of giving in had only driven him further away, until he eventually abandoned me.

I finally spoke up.

"Matteo, why don't you pick out another string of lights for Enzo?"

The moment Enzo heard me, he burst into even louder tears. Laura hurried over, trying to calm him down.

"Come on, Enzo. Be a good boy. You can't take something that someone else likes."

Matteo frowned, a trace of irritation creeping into his voice.

"Freya, Ella has never wanted for anything. Enzo, on the other hand, has grown up without much love. You should teach Ella to be more considerate and learn to share."

With that, he held out his hand to Ella.

"Come on, sweetheart. Give the lights to the little boy."

Tears clung to Ella's eyelashes as she looked up at him and asked softly, "What about me?"

Matteo gently coaxed her. "I promise I'll make you a string of fairy lights myself tonight. How does that sound?"

Ella immediately lifted her head, her eyes lighting up with excitement.

"Really?"

Only after Matteo nodded did she finally let go of the lights and hand them over.

I looked at my daughter's hopeful little face, my heart aching with bitterness. She was still too young to understand that adults often disguised their favoritism behind empty promises.

Enzo happily took the string of lights and immediately started demanding that they go to another store. Matteo hesitated for a moment before turning to me.

"Freya, why don't you take Ella home first? I won't be long."

When I didn't respond, he simply scooped up Enzo and left with Laura without another word.

Ella lowered her head, her voice heavy with disappointment.

"Mommy, does Daddy like that little boy more than he likes me?"

This time, I didn't answer. I simply crouched down and pulled her into my arms.