She’s asleep. Exhausted, hurt, confused, it was all written on her face, even as she slept. I watched over her for a little while longer before easing out from under her and going to get cleaned up. The water burned the scratches she’d left on my back and shoulders, but instead of being elated at the wildness she’d shown in my bed, I felt true nervousness for the first time in my life.Something has changed inside her. She no longer seems like the levelheaded innocent I’d saved that day not too long ago. To add even more to my worry, now that the excitement of the moment is over, my mind keeps throwing horrifying scenarios my way. There’s so much that could’ve happened to her in that house, so much that could’ve gone wrong, and I’ll be forever grateful to my sisters for not letting her go there alone.My thoughts wouldn’t settle down enough for me to do what I need to because I’m too worried that she’d go rogue again and wondering how the hell I can prevent it. Right now, her blood i

The next day there was nothing but chaos in the house. People talk about bridezillas, but I bet they have nothing on two Italian princesses who have their father wrapped around their fingers and a bevy of people willing to do their bidding for the right price. I didn’t see my girl all day because the twins wanted her with them. There were stylists, makeup artists, and who knows what else milling around the house since breakfast and the noise level was off the charts. Her ankle-biter kept me company all day while I kept him out of the way until it was time to get ready for the party. Pop had made his escape with Uncle Marcus on the golf course while I stayed in my room doing what I do best.I spent most of the morning eavesdropping on her family home and the other half preparing for Sicily. There was still no news of my grandfather, but I’d at least made headway in finding my way into the Ricci circle. My first plan of action has always been to find out who was at the party that nigh

Who has this kind of security for a sweet sixteen? I couldn’t even get close to the gate. What am I even doing here anyway? Like a lost puppy searching for its owner. I don’t know what came over me, what made me get into mom’s car and sneak away, but I needed to know if everyone else had been invited but me.Just thinking about it made me too sick to my stomach to sit still. I couldn’t stand the thought of all of them laughing at me, talking about me behind my back, reminiscing about all the things I’d said and done in the past, and laughing at me. It always comes back to them laughing at me; that’s the one thing I can’t stand.But it’s like there’s an information blackout, and I’m the only one left looking in from the outside. My so-called friends aren’t returning my calls, and there’s no one else for me to ask. At least I haven’t seen any of them show up, and I’ve been here since well before the party started. I thought it would’ve been easy with all these people going in and out

Breakfast in the morning was a riotous mess. Ma was in her element, having the whole family here, including the grands as well as Gianna’s relatives who had gone from talking about the party the night before to the upcoming trip to Paris and the ball. I learned that Gianna was going to be busy once we returned from the Caribbean, which is a good thing. It will give me time to put the finishing touches on the Fontane issue while gearing up for mine. Aside from finding her the perfect gowns last minute, which they didn’t seem as worried about as the other stuff her invite entailed, there was a mind-numbing amount of crap she had to go through. I’d been there for my sisters’ and knew she had a long road ahead of her. I’d gained a whole new respect for the tradition after getting an up-close look from behind the scenes. Before, I thought it was a lot of waste for what boiled down to just a party. But the way the women in my family act it’s almost like a rite of passage, and I can see w