13. Piper

13

PIPER

T he silence that settles over the house as Gabriel's car pulls out of the driveway is both eerie and peaceful. I let out a breath, my shoulders sagging with relief. Elysse looks up at me with her big blue eyes, a tentative smile on her face.

"He's gone?"

I nod, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "Yes, sweetie."

Elysse's smile widens. "So it's just us?"

"That's right. We get to have a fun girls' weekend, just the two of us." I force a note of cheer into my voice, even as my mind is already racing ahead. Gabriel's absence is a brief respite, a chance to breathe without the suffocating weight of his presence. But more than that, it's an opportunity. An opportunity to think, to plan, to figure out how Elysse and I can finally escape this unbearable situation.

A part of me wishes Gabriel would tire of me and leave us. I know he's in Vegas drinking, gambling, and sleeping with other women. When I first learned of his extracurricular activities, it broke my heart. Now, his activities and infidelities are a relief. If only he'd decide to not come home. He clearly doesn't love or respect me. Why he insists on staying with me is baffling. I imagine many would ask the same of me. Why stay when he's so heinous? I would leave in a moment if I knew I could keep Elysse safe from the threats he's made on her.

But this has to end. What I need is a plan, a way out for Elysse and me. I curse myself for not being better prepared, for not having an escape route already mapped out. If I did, we could leave now, while Gabriel is gone. But I know I need to be strategic about this. Rushing into things could put us in even more danger.

So for now, I'll focus on giving Elysse a lovely weekend. We'll spend the day enjoying Chicago, have a fancy dinner, and roller skate. That I have planned. Later, when she's asleep, I'll begin to map out our escape. I'll make a plan to get us out of this nightmare once and for all.

"We're going to explore the city today, just you and me. I want to show you all my favorite places from when I was growing up."

Elysse's eyes light up, her smile wide and eager. "Really? Like where?"

"Well, I was thinking of the pier. There is a huge Ferris wheel and other rides. Then maybe we can have tea at the American Girl Doll store."

She bounces up and down, clapping her hands. "Yay. Can we still go skating?"

"Yes. I thought we'd do that later. After I take you to a nice dinner at my favorite Italian restaurant. We'll have a full day of it."

She throws her arms around me, and I hug her close. She deserves so much more than I've been giving her. I can't wallow in my difficulties anymore. I've been so consumed by fear that I've lost myself, my strength. I need to find it and do better by Elysse.

We get dressed and head out, hand in hand, ready to take on the city. Our first stop is the pier, where we ride the Ferris wheel and carousel. Elysse's cheeks are flushed, her eyes sparkling with joy, and my heart feels lighter than it has in years.

We see the children's museum, so we go in, where we enjoy a dinosaur expedition and then join the circus. Inwardly, I wonder if there are any real circuses that Elysse and I could run away with. She and I could feed the elephants.

We take a ride share the few blocks to the American Girl store where we have a tea lunch. I share with her stories of my childhood, of the adventures I had with my friends growing up in Chicago.

"Mommy, did you always want to be a mommy when you grew up?" Elysse asks, her head tilted to the side.

I pause, considering. "I always knew I wanted to have a little girl, someone to love and take care of. But I also wanted to travel the world, to have adventures of my own." I don't want to lie to her about the circumstances of her birth and how it changed the trajectory of my life. But neither do I want her to feel like she's negatively impacted my life. She's the only bright star in it.

"Can we still do that someday? Have adventures together?" she asks, licking whipped cream off her fingers from a pastry.

"That would be fun. Where would you like to go?"

Her little face scrunches up in thought. "Can we go to the fairy places?"

"You mean back in the U.K.?" I have no idea if there are fairy places in the United States.

She nods.

"I don't see why not." But even as I say it, I wonder if I'm giving her false hope. I'm committed to finding a way out from under Gabriel's abuse, but deep down, I don't know if I can. I push my doubt away and silently renew my promise to myself and to Elysse. I will get us out of this nightmare. I will give us the life we deserve. No matter what it takes.

After lunch, we head to the park to play mini golf and enjoy the playground. For a time, we sit on the grass, relaxing, and I wonder if I've packed in too much activity for one day. We still haven't roller skated.

But as dinnertime approaches, we both get a second wind. I order us a rideshare to take us to the restaurant.

"This was my absolute favorite place to eat when I was your age," I say as we exit the car in front of the Italian restaurant. It looks slightly different from what I remember. A bit more upscale than when I was younger. "My parents would bring me here for special occasions." I'd planned to come when I graduated from high school, but that didn't turn out. I shake that thought away.

"What do they have?" Elysse holds my hand as we enter. A wave of emotion overwhelms me. It's not from the memories of my family. It's from Elio. This was the place Elio took me on our first date. I can still picture it perfectly—the nervous flutter in my chest as I walked through the door on Elio's arm. The way he looked at me across the table like I was the center of the universe for him. I'd already been smitten with him, but that night, I fell head over heels for him.

I shake the memory away. "Spaghetti and meatballs, your favorite."

"Yay." Elysse bounces on her toes, her excitement palpable.

The hostess greets us with a warm smile, leading us to a cozy booth in the back. As I slide in across from Elysse, I'm hit with a fresh wave of memories. The night he gave me the promise ring, he'd arranged our meal from this restaurant to be delivered to the rooftop. Maybe bringing her here wasn't a good idea.

Refocusing on the present, I read the menu. It hasn't changed except for a few new items. "They have mozzarella sticks."

"Can we get them?"

"Of course."

As Elysse pores over the options, chattering excitedly about mozzarella sticks and spaghetti and meatballs, I feel the knot in my stomach start to loosen. Yes, this place is inextricably tied to Elio in my mind. But it doesn't have to stay that way. I can reclaim it, make it a special place for Elysse and me.

A flutter of activity near the door has me looking up. My heart leaps into my throat as Elio strides through the restaurant, looking every inch the charismatic, powerful man he's become. He's wearing a perfectly tailored suit, his dark hair artfully tousled, his eyes scanning the room with a cool, assessing gaze.

For a moment, I'm frozen, torn between two equally powerful urges. Part of me wants to run to him, to throw myself into his arms and beg him to save me from this nightmare of a life. He said he wanted to help me, protect me.

But the other part of me, the wiser, warier part, knows better. Elio abandoned me when I needed him most, left me to face the consequences of our actions alone. I can't put my faith in him again. I have to be my own hero now.

I duck my head, hiding behind my menu. Moments tick by, and I can't help myself. I peek over the top of my menu. Elio's eyes land on me, followed by a slow, devastating smile. He starts making his way toward our booth, his stride confident and purposeful.

Panic rises in my throat, and I feel the sudden urge to flee. I plaster on a smile, for Elysse, not him. I don't want her catching on to Elio's past with me.

"Piper," he says warmly as he reaches our table, his voice sending shivers down my spine. "What a pleasant surprise."

I keep smiling, but it's possible I'm grimacing. "Elio. What are you doing here?"

His eyes flick to Elysse, then back to me, a question in their depths. But he doesn't ask, just slides into the booth next to Elysse, ignoring the tension crackling between us.

"And who is this lovely young lady?" he asks, turning his megawatt charm on my daughter.

A new sort of panic fills me. For the first time ever, Elysse is sitting next to her father. Will he figure it out? He knew I was pregnant. Did he forget?

Elysse, always eager to make a new friend, introduces herself. "I'm Elysse and I'm seven years old." She holds up seven fingers.

Elio grins and holds out his hand to shake hers. "Hello, Elysse. I'm Elio D'Amato and I'm twenty-six years old."

My heart constricts as Elysse beams back at him and shakes his hand, clearly charmed. I watch, both worried and at the same time strangely moved. I study Elio's face, trying to reconcile the man in front of me with the boy I loved so fiercely, so recklessly.

As if sensing my gaze, Elio looks up, his eyes locking with mine. And in that moment, I see a flicker of something—concern, perhaps, or regret. His gaze lingers on my cheek, on the spot where I know the faint shadow of Gabriel's bruise still lingers beneath my makeup.

I look away, shame and anger burning in my chest. I don't want his pity, don't want him to see how far I've fallen. I just want him to leave, to let me get through this dinner with my daughter in peace.

"That's my mom."

"We've met."

Elysse's brow furrows. "Really?"

"I met your mom when I was in high school." His eyes are on mine, shining with a mixture of amusement and mischievousness.

"Really?" Her eyes widen like saucers.

"It was a long time ago." A lifetime ago. I'm only twenty-five, but I feel ancient, all of a sudden. That woman I'd been eight years ago, young, vibrant, bold… she's long gone, and it fills me with sadness.

"It feels like yesterday?" His gaze stays on me.

"Was he your boyfriend?" Elysse makes a face. She doesn't think much of boys right now. I'm not thinking very much of the one sitting with us.

"I was head over heels for your mom," Elio says. "I brought her here, you know. It's her favorite."

"Like I said, that was a long time ago." I shift, discomfort growing. How can I sit here and watch my daughter fall under the spell of the man who broke my heart? The man whose family sent me away all those years ago?

But even more than that, I'm terrified of what Elio's presence in Elysse's life could mean. He's not just my ex-boyfriend. He's the head of a powerful Mafia family. A family with enemies and secrets and a violent way of doing business.

Is it safe for Elysse to even be around him? What if his enemies find out about her, try to use her as leverage against him? The thought makes my blood run cold.

And even if the danger isn't physical, there's the emotional toll to consider. Elysse has already been through so much with Gabriel's abuse and volatility. The last thing she needs is to get attached to someone else who might disappear from her life without warning.

Because that's what Elio does, isn't it? He makes grand promises, sweeps you off your feet, and then vanishes when things get tough, leaving devastation in his wake.

I can't let that happen to Elysse. I won't. She deserves stability, security, a father figure she can depend on. And much as it pains me to admit it, I know that can't be Elio.

But as I watch them together, heads bent conspiratorially as Elio entertains her with some wild story about losing a meatball, I feel a flicker of doubt. Is it really fair of me to keep Elysse from her father, to deny her a chance to know the man who helped give her life?

I push the thought away. It's not about fairness. It's about protecting my child. And right now, the best way to do that is to keep Elio at a distance.

"Elysse and I are having a private dinner." I hope he gets the hint and leaves us.

He flashes me that infuriatingly charming grin. "Let me buy."

I shake my head. "I can ask the manager to show you the way out."

He flinches, and I don't blame him. My words are caustic, but I'm feeling desperate to get my bearings again.

"She wouldn't dare." He leans over the table toward me. "I own this place."

My jaw drops. "You… you own it?"

He nods, looking far too pleased with himself. "Bought it a few years back." There's something in his tone, in his expression that suggests it was more than a business deal, but I don't want to examine it too closely.

"Well, then," I say coolly, "as the owner, surely, you have more important things to do than sit with us."

To my utter frustration, Elio just laughs. "Sweetheart, there is nowhere else I'd rather be. Let me buy you and Elysse dinner. I promise I'll be on my best behavior. Deal?"

Before I can tell him exactly where he can shove his deal, Elysse pipes up from beside him. "Can Mr. Elio stay, Mommy? He's funny!"

I close my eyes briefly, feeling a headache building behind my temples. How can I say no now without disappointing Elysse or making a scene?

Slowly, reluctantly, I nod. "Fine. You can stay. But don't think for a second that this changes anything."

Elio's smile is blinding as he signals the waiter. "Of course."

We order our meals, and Elio arranges for an expensive wine for us. He makes sure there are three cherries in Elysse's Shirley Temple.

As our food comes, Elio and Elysse talk and laugh with an easy camaraderie. Watching them together is like a knife twisting in my gut. The way she lights up at his jokes, the easy rapport between them—it's everything I would want for my daughter. Everything all of us should have had… in another life.

But this isn't another life. This is now, the life I've built in the aftermath of his betrayal. He made his choice eight years ago. I'll be damned if I'll give him the opportunity to abandon and break the heart of my daughter.