Three days later, I returned to the Russo estate.
The mansion was silent, a mausoleum built of marble and gold. I walked through the grand hallway, my footsteps echoing against the cold stone. I was still weak, my body struggling to recover from the infection, but I had nowhere else to go. Not yet.
Needing air, I went to the backyard, drawn by the rhythmic sound of splashing water.
The pool was an Olympic-sized monstrosity of turquoise tile, heated to a perfect eighty degrees. It had been built for me when I was twelve, back when the doctor said swimming would help my asthma.
Sofia was there.
She was lounging on a chaise, draped in a white bikini that likely cost more than most people's cars. She saw me and smiled—a sharp, predatory expression that didn't reach her eyes.
"Oh, look who's back," she called out, sipping a bright orange cocktail. "The accountant."
I ignored her, turning on my heel to go back inside.
"Wait!" she shouted, standing up abruptly. She held up a key card. "Luca gave me the key to your office. He said I'm the Lead Accountant now. He slept at my apartment last night, by the way. He said I have nightmares, so he had to stay."
I stopped. I didn't turn around.
"Keep the key, Sofia. You'll need it when the IRS audits the shell companies."
I heard her footsteps slap against the concrete behind me.
"You think you're so smart," she hissed. "But you're just a thief. This pool? It's mine now. Everything here is mine."
I turned to face her. She was standing dangerously close to the edge of the deep end.
"Then enjoy it," I said flatly.
Suddenly, Sofia let out a piercing shriek. She raked her own fingernails down her arm, leaving three angry red welts, and threw herself backward.
She hit the water with a massive splash.
"Help! She tried to kill me!" she screamed, thrashing in the water as if she couldn't swim.
The patio doors burst open instantly. Frank and Maria Russo—my adoptive parents—rushed out, followed by Luca.
"Sofia!" Maria screamed, running to the edge.
"She pushed me!" Sofia wailed, coughing up water. "Elena pushed me!"
Frank Russo didn't ask a question. He didn't even look at me. He charged like a bull.
Before I could speak, before I could raise my hands, Frank’s heavy boot slammed into my chest.
The air left my lungs in a painful whoosh. I flew backward, tumbling into the deep end of the pool.
The water swallowed me. I sank, the cold shock stunning my system. I couldn't swim well—my asthma had never really gone away—and the heavy wool coat I was wearing dragged me down like an anchor.
I thrashed, fighting for the surface. I broke the water, gasping.
"Dad!" I choked out. "I didn't—"
"Liar!" Maria shrieked from the deck. "Look at her arm! You vicious little brat!"
Frank stood by the edge, watching me struggle. "You want to drown my daughter? Then you can see how it feels."
I went under again. My lungs burned. I kicked, fighting the crushing weight of my clothes.
Suddenly, a splash. Strong arms wrapped around my waist. Luca.
He hauled me to the surface and dragged me toward the stairs. I coughed, retching up chlorinated water, clinging to him. For a second, I thought he had saved me because he cared.
He hauled me onto the concrete and immediately released me. My head cracked against the hard tile with a sickening thud.
"Are you insane?" Luca shouted, standing over me, water dripping from his suit. "Look at what you did to her!"
I lay there, gasping, looking up at them. Sofia was wrapped in a towel in Maria's arms, sobbing fake tears. Frank looked at me with pure hatred. And Luca... Luca looked disgusted.
"I didn't touch her," I whispered, my voice broken.
"Stop lying!" Luca roared. "You are incorrigible, Elena. Always causing drama. Always hurting her because you're jealous."
He walked over to Sofia and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close.
"Touch her again, Elena," Luca said, his voice dropping to a lethal calm. "Touch her again, and I will forget who you are. I will forget the last eleven years."
He turned his back on me.
"Come on, Sofia. Let's get you inside."
They walked away, leaving me coughing up water on the cold concrete, shivering as the sun began to set.
