💜Nicole
I watched them go. Grace, with that irritatingly happy expression, floating out in Leonardo's arm.
The silence they left behind was dense, heavy, and boring. Unbearably, agonizingly boring.
Papa and the rest went on with their conversations, I was the only one that felt like something happened. I kept my gaze fixed on the tablecloth, trying to decide if the flower pattern was supposed to be a daisy or a miniature hand grenade.
I noticed Luca, Leonardo's step-brother, whispering something to Marco, who simply ignored him and focused on carving his chicken. He really is the other brother, I thought, feeling a dull pang of sympathy for Luca, which quickly vanished as I realized I was still stuck in this stuffy, velvet-lined prison and Grace and Leonard are probably somewhere laughing to each other.
I couldn't take it. The air felt thick with stale power and my mother's silent judgment. Every muscle in my body was screaming at me to move.
