Her voice shook just enough to sound real. I used to fall for that softness. I didn’t anymore.
“Enough pretending,” I said sharply. “I see through both of you now.”
Her face changed instantly. The innocence disappeared.
“You don’t get to act like a victim,” she snapped. “You threw everything away. You ran off. You left chaos behind you.”
Each word hit like a strike.
“Bianca—” I started, but she shoved me.
Hard.
I stumbled into the kitchen counter, pain flaring through my side.
Mason screamed and ran between us. “Stop! Please stop!”
“Get away!” Matteo shouted.
He moved forward too quickly. His arm swung—meant for me—but Mason was in the way.
The impact made the child stumble violently. He hit the edge of the table and collapsed to the floor.
A sharp, piercing cry filled the room.
“Mason!” Bianca screamed, dropping instantly to her knees and pulling him into her arms. “It’s okay, baby… Mommy’s here…”
I went completely still. My stomach dropped.
“He hit him,” I whispered, then louder, “You HIT HIM!”
Matteo turned on me instantly. “This is your fault! If you didn’t escalate things, he wouldn’t have been there!”
“Don’t you blame me!” I yelled, stepping forward.