Gwen's POV I felt everyone at the table freeze at the exact same time, like someone had hit pause on a movie. Then Nick stood up so fast he nearly knocked his chair over, the scrape of wood against stone far too loud in the sudden silence. "What are you doing here?" he asked, his voice sharper than I'd heard in weeks. Renee gave a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Bella invited me," she said sweetly, stepping closer to the table with slow, calculated movements. "Didn't you, sweetheart? You told me your grandmother was making a special dinner tonight." Bella's eyes went wide. She looked desperately at her father, then at me, and shook her head slightly. "Of course you did," Renee insisted smoothly. "You said your grandmother was making ragù, didn't you, Bella?" She was already pulling out an empty chair between Dante and Martina, sitting down as if she had been expected all along. "But lamb stew is even better than ragù," she added brightly, placing a napkin on her la
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