Chapter 3

The moment I stepped through the door, a group of people blocked my way. They were all young members Nina had been keeping around lately.

The man leading them glanced at the equipment in my hands. "Well, if it isn't Camilla. I heard you're being shipped off to Turin. What are you back here to grab?"

Another man beside him draped his hand over my shoulder and sneered, "How else is she supposed to prove to people she almost became Matteo's wife?"

I gripped his hand. "Let go."

"Quite the temper." He deliberately raised his voice. "You really think you're the princess of the family? Too bad the real princess is back.

"Everyone can see who Matteo and the boys have picked."

The crowd around us kept growing. Matteo and the other three were right at the other end of the hallway.

Cesare was carrying documents for Nina. Elio was teaching her how to read internal files. And Adriano Caruso was holding her gun case.

Matteo saw me too.

He stood where he was and said nothing.

A few years ago, someone had said behind my back that I was just a tech the family had raised and that I wasn't anywhere near good enough for Matteo.

That person was transferred out of headquarters the very next day.

Now, a whole crowd had me cornered and was humiliating me. All he did was stand there and watch in silence.

Nina walked over. Her tone was understanding, but the look she gave me was smug. "Stop it, all of you. Camilla's leaving for Turin. She must be in a bad mood."

The ringleader immediately took her side. "Nina, you're too kind. She's just scared you'll take her place."

Nina instantly put on a sad face and sighed again and again.

Matteo walked over and shielded her behind him. "Camilla, if you've got a problem, take it up with us. Don't give Nina attitude."

But from the moment this started, I hadn't said a single word to her.

Suddenly, someone behind me yanked at my clothes, and someone else bumped into me with a coffee, splashing the whole cup all over me.

Laughter broke out around us.

"Sorry, it slipped," the ringleader said brazenly.

My face stayed blank. I looked out at the crowd and quietly wiped the coffee off my chin.

Matteo glanced at me, his tone calm. "Go home and change. Don't make a scene in front of all these people."

I turned and walked away.

Half an hour later, I had just finished changing when the front door was pushed open.

Matteo and the other three walked straight in with Nina.

Cesare spoke first. "Where's the photo?"

I looked at him. "What?"

"The one you gave Nina yesterday. She noticed it was gone after she left headquarters."

Adriano's face darkened. "You're the only one who got near her today. Who else could it be?"

With that, he headed straight for my bedroom.

"Get out," I said, a flash of anger in my voice, but no one listened.

They pulled the drawers open and went through the closet.

Cesare threw open the wardrobe and saw only a few pieces of clothing left inside. "Where's all your stuff?"

"Packed."

Elio spotted the suitcases against the wall and sneered. "Here we go again."

Adriano chimed in dismissively, "It's just Turin. You're acting like it's goodbye forever."

Matteo picked up the agreement on the desk. The cover said only "Classified Technical Project."

He skimmed it for a second and set it back down. "It's an ordinary five-year posting, and there's still a while before you leave. What, are you planning to vanish today?"

Just then, in the reflection on the glass cabinet, I saw Nina move.

She slipped the photo out of her sleeve and tucked it into the gap between the desk and the wall.

Then she bent down and exclaimed in delight, "Found it!"

She picked up the photo, and her eyes immediately went red. "Camilla, if you regretted giving it to me, you could have just said so. There was no need to sneak it back."

I was baffled. "Didn't you just put that there yourself?"

Tears spilled down Nina's cheeks, and Cesare immediately stepped in front of her. "Enough."

"There's a security camera right overhead." I pointed at the corner of the wall. "Just check the footage from three minutes ago."

But Matteo handed the photo back to Nina. "We found it. Let's leave it at that."

I looked at him. "So you won't even check?"

"Camilla, we all know you've been targeting her."

A wave of helplessness washed over me, and I didn't say anything more.

Nina, however, noticed my computer, which I hadn't shut down yet. My complete private video library was open on it.

"So all the videos are still here." She took two steps closer. "Can I have these too?"

"No." I closed the laptop.

Adriano leaned in. "Didn't you say yesterday you'd take care of it?"

"I changed my mind."

Her tears fell again. "Do you think I'll never deserve to be part of your past?"

Matteo's face darkened, and he flipped the laptop right back open. "She just wants a few videos. If you don't want to be in them, then delete your parts."

"Matteo, don't touch that."

He ignored me.

Cesare clamped down on my wrist.

On the screen, every file labeled with my name was selected.

Matteo briskly hit Delete.

Our shooting practice when we were twelve.

Sneaking off to the harbor to watch the sunrise at fifteen.

Matteo at seventeen, telling the camera he'd marry me someday.

All of it went into the trash.

Adriano let go of me and smiled in satisfaction. "There. Was that so hard?

"Now we won't have you showing up in all the keepsake videos from here on out."

After they left, my phone buzzed.

[Your pickup vehicle will arrive in two hours.]

I looked at the suitcases by the wall, and a strange loneliness settled over me.

Eighteen years of my life, and it all came down to two suitcases.