CHAINED BY FIRE

e's

y. Keep us safe." My heart steadied. I headed to the bathroom, hygiene my ritual to reclaim myself. I showered with jasmine vanilla cocoa butter body wash, its rich scent soothing, then scrubbed with a sugar-based body scrub, my button nose catching the sweetnes

month-pregnant glow bright, curls bouncing. "Cece!" she squealed, hugging me. I handed her the cupcakes, my chubby cheeks flushed, voice quiet. "Made these for you, tiramisu." S

ws with singles, the stylist's fingers weaving tight braids, beads clicking softly. Alicia chose loose braids, her curls tamed into neat rows. "Adrian's gonna flip," she said, grinning, her voice t

nst my gold-caramel skin, while Alicia chose light yellow, her sunny vibe shining. Electrolysis hair removal followed, giggling through the sting, my full lips curving at our silliness. Shopping hit bouti

al stop. Over non-alcoholic mimosas and Alfredo pasta, we gossiped, Sofia's antics, Nonno's vineya

cia." Tears welled, my heart cracking open. "My mom, Lily, was lost to drugs, Marco's drugs. I took care of her, fought to survive, g

re family. Don't be scared of Matteo. I was terrified of Adrian, his world, but I can't live without h

ter topics, her baby's nursery, my café stories with Rico's teasing. The day felt li

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eo's

the cozy space. Adrian, glasses fogging, waved me in, his suit rumpled from Blackwood Tech's demands. My Naples trip was a partial win, our strike hit hard, but my cousin slippe

leading me to his off

's costing us, men, money, time. Marco's trafficking's tied to them too, those girls Cece saw." My voice hardened,

ing his network, but it's deep. Cece's info helped." He p

there stirred respect. Her voice, glowy skin, expressive eyes haunted me. In this chaos, I miss

offee. On the counter sat a box with two tiramisu cupcakes, coffee-cream frosting perfect.

eamy, coffee and mascarpone blending perfectly. "Damn, this is unreal." I savored it, pic

." We talked strategy, Naples, Marco, my cousin, but i couldn't help but think of Ce

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e's

pt me giggling, my voice joining hers. My braids felt fresh, my white mani-pedi crisp, the day's joy a shield against Marco's shadow, last

outine. In pajamas, my fresh cornrows tied under a scarf, I checked my sketchbook, Matteo's eyes half-drawn, a dangerous pull I couldn't deny