Our flight to Rio de Janeiro leaves in an hour. Since we are taking a private jet, I was foolish enough to think we wouldn’t go through airport security, but, apparently, there was an incident last week in one of the private flights and they now are scanning everyone’s belongings so, here we are waiting in line to have our luggage checked. I don’t know how much longer I’ll be able to control myself, my palms are so sweaty my handbag keeps slipping from my hands. I put the pills inside an empty Ibuprofen bottle and the idea of getting caught makes me sick to my stomach. I’m so frightened I’m almost shakin

Our bags are already in our room at the foot of the king-size bed.“I’m jumping in the shower; do you want to join me?” Stefan asks as he takes off his shirt. “No, thanks,” I reply as I take off my shoes. 

I barely contain a scream when someone pulls me by the arm back to the dining room. It’s Agatha who is pulling me as hard as she can with an unfriendly expression on her face, then she gestures me to keep quiet. I feel a chill in my body. She just saw me spying on his brother and nephew. Is she going to rat me out? I’m supposed to be pretending to be innocent and naive, if they realize I’m spying on them I won’t seem so innocent. I may have put the whole plan in danger.“You know how much trouble you can get into for doing that? If Romano realizes you are eavesdropping he is going to lose it! My brother is an angry man with very little patience and he already has a poor

We go downstairs to the dining room, but dinner is still not ready, for some reason, Agatha wants us to wait until midnight to eat. Instead, she takes us to the library, where the rest of the family is gathered, including Romano who is once again drinking scotch. He makes a grimace when he sees me come in and then looks the other way, ignoring my presence. Nonna Julia waves at me so I get close to her, I walk pass Romano ignoring him just as he is ignoring me. “I know we are supposed to wait until tomorrow to exchange gifts, but I’m old and I don’t like to wait. I knitted this for your baby,”

The firsts rays of sunshine slip through the beige curtains, I haven’t slept at all, I feel exhausted, but I can’t stay in bed any longer. My head is going to explode with all the fears and thoughts I’m having. I jump in the shower, wishing that refreshing my body will help me clear my head too, but it doesn’t. My whole body is trembling, I can’t control my nerves. I step out of the shower and hear a lot of noise in the bedroom, I wrap my body in a towel and I peek out the bathroom door to see what’s going on.