Chapter 3 - THE HOUSE WHERE NO ONE CALLED HER FAMILY
Castellano Manor stood behind iron gates on the outskirts of Providence.
It was enormous.
Stone walls.
Tall windows.
Gardens stretching toward the trees.
But what surprised me most wasn't the wealth.
It was the quiet.
No shouting.
No mocking laughter.
No Petra calling my name from three rooms away.
A woman in her sixties greeted us at the entrance.
“Welcome home, Mrs. Castellano.”
I froze.
Mrs. Castellano.
Nobody had ever called me anything with that much respect.
Adrian turned toward the woman.
“Rosa, this is Evelyn.”
Rosa smiled warmly.
“It's a pleasure.”
I nodded.
“Thank you.”
She looked at my wooden case.
“Would you like someone to carry that?”
I tightened my grip.
“No.”
Adrian spoke immediately.
“Then she carries it.”
Rosa nodded.
“Of course.”
I stared at him.
He turned toward me.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
He smiled faintly.
“Evelyn.”
“Yes?”
“You don't have to defend every decision here.”
My throat tightened.
May you like
I looked away.
Because I didn't know how to explain that defending myself was the only way I'd survived.
