I shook my head. “No. I just… I need you to help me find the evidence. Fast.”
She didn’t press me. Instead, she ordered a table full of food, her voice gentle. “Eat something. You look like you haven’t touched a meal in days.”
I barely managed to lift a spoon when I froze.
Chiara had entered. And with her, the little girl—dressed perfectly, smiling like she owned the room. My heart seized when I saw the child. I couldn’t look away.
Of course, Chiara noticed. She drew the girl close, her voice loud and deliberate.
“Lella, be good. Understand? There’s a murderer here. She killed her own child. If you misbehave, the police might take you away, too.”
I froze in place, my throat tightening.
Then she turned, her eyes locking on mine, smiling that poisonous smile. “Clara… ten years have passed. Are you still comfortable eating out here?”
The restaurant fell into an unnatural silence. Every gaze in the room landed on me, piercing, judging.
Whispers slithered through the air.
“That’s her?”
“She killed her daughter?”
“She doesn’t look insane…”