Chapter 71

—Ellie—

Only one week until Christmas. The mansion was decorated beautifully with red baubles, golden tinsel, and sprigs of mistletoe. Luckily Isabella and Samuel weren’t mobile yet or the greenery would have had to go.

I’d sent Mateo a few messages, telling him I was safe and asking if he was okay. He hadn’t replied yet but I knew he’d read the messages. Maybe his hurt was still too fresh. Five days weren’t enough to come to terms with the fact that your sister betrayed you for a man you hated more than anything in the world. My messages to Mom and Arianna hadn’t even been received.

I suspected Dad had gotten new phones for them so I couldn’t contact them. I approached Kate as she stirred a new batch of baby food, a sweet potato puree. “Do you get Christmas presents for each other?”

Damian had given me a credit card from one of the Russo bank accounts yesterday, and while I’d wanted to decline at first, I took the card. Tristan see