CHAPTER 139
KATYA POV
By the time I reached the third-floor hallway, my thoughts were a tangled mess—knots pulling tighter instead of loosening.
I hated that a stranger's arrival could shake me like this. Hated that a single word—Donna—could slip under my skin and scrape something raw.
Stupid.Focus. The kitchen was just ahead.
Warm light spilled into the hall, along with the familiar noise of pans, the hum of the oven, the clatter of breakfast prep.
I pushed the door open, stepping inside just as two chefs nearly bumped into each other. A sweet smell—cinnamon, maybe honey—filled the air.
Someone was whisking eggs in a steel bowl. Another sliced fruit with quick, practiced movements.
Miss stella is no where to be found which was unusual. Her being absent wasn't just unusual, it was wrong.
She lived in this kitchen. She was always here before sunrise, humming while stirring pots, scolding the younger chefs, making sure Nonna's meals were perfect down to the last herb.
