The next morning, Carmen barely touched her breakfast. She pushed the scrambled eggs around her plate, her stomach twisting too much to eat. Across from her, Marco sat with his usual black coffee, his eyes locked on his phone, barely acknowledging her presence.
She watched him for a long moment, her fingers tightening around her fork.
Finally, she spoke. “Are you hiding something from me?”
Marco froze. It was slight—barely a hesitation—but she caught it.
His eyes flicked up to hers, dark and unreadable. “What are you talking about?”
“You’ve been acting strange,” she pressed, searching his face. “Distant. Closed off.”
Marco sighed, setting his phone down. “Carmen, I don’t have time for this.”
“You never have time,” she snapped, her voice sharper than she intended.
Marco’s jaw tightened. “I have a business to run. A business that someone is trying to destroy.”
Carmen exhaled slowly, trying to calm the frustration boiling inside her.
“This isn’t just about business, Marco.”
Marco didn’t respond. He just reached for his coffee, taking a slow sip, shutting her out.
Carmen clenched her fists under the table. “This is about Rafael, isn’t it?”
Marco’s hand stilled mid-air. He didn’t look up. Didn’t react.
But Carmen saw the way his muscles tensed, the way his grip on the mug tightened ever so slightly.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said, his voice low, controlled. Carmen felt like she’d been punched.
Liar.
Carmen turned her attention to Matteo, sitting beside her, munching on his toast. Her sweet boy. He looked happier lately. More talkative, more playful. But there was one thing Carmen couldn’t ignore.
Whenever he reached for someone… it wasn’t her anymore.
It was Ella. “Nanny, juice!” Matteo chirped, holding up his empty glass. Ella, sitting beside him, chuckled. “Magic word, sweetheart?”
“Please!”
Ella smiled, pouring the juice into his cup. “There you go, darling.”
Carmen watched helplessly as Matteo leaned into Ella’s side, resting his head against her arm.
Her heart squeezed. “Baby, do you want to sit with Mama?” she asked softly. Matteo hesitated, glancing at Ella.
Then—he shook his head. “I want Nanny.”
The words hit like a slap. Carmen forced a smile, but her chest felt tight, her hands cold.
Marco wasn’t paying attention. He was still scrolling through his phone, his mind miles away. Carmen exhaled, blinking back the sting behind her eyes. That night, Carmen went to tuck Matteo into bed.
His room was calm and peaceful, the dim nightlight casting a warm glow. “Alright, sweetheart,” she whispered, pulling the covers up. “Leo is right here if you need him.”
Matteo sat up suddenly.
“Where’s my blue car?”
Carmen blinked. “What car, baby?”
“The one Nanny gave me,” Matteo pouted, looking around. Carmen frowned, checking his nightstand. Nothing. She opened his toy box. Not there.
“Maybe it’s downstairs?” she suggested. Matteo shook his head, tears forming in his eyes. “No, I always keep it here.”
Carmen hesitated. She had seen that car before. And Matteo never misplaced his favorite things.
This wasn’t the first time something had gone missing from his room. A few nights ago, she’d noticed one of his baby pictures was gone from his shelf.
Before that? His favorite bedtime book. Small things. But important things. Carmen’s stomach twisted. “I’ll find it in the morning, okay?” she whispered, smoothing his hair back.
Matteo sniffled but nodded sleepily.
She tucked him in, pressing a kiss to his forehead. But as she turned off the light, her mind wouldn’t stop racing. Was she imagining things? Or was something wrong?
Marco was still awake when Carmen walked into the bedroom. He sat on the edge of the bed, elbows resting on his knees, staring at his phone screen.
His face was pale. “Marco?” Carmen frowned. “What’s wrong?” His grip on the phone tightened. Slowly, he turned the screen toward her.
Carmen's phone buzzed with a message from an unknown number: “She’s back.”And as if on cue, there was a knock at the door. Luca stood there, his expression guarded. When he saw that Carmen was still awake, he hesitated, his eyes flicking nervously between her and Marco.
Marco met Luca’s gaze, then glanced at Carmen. With a slow exhale, he nodded. “It’s okay, you can tell her.”
Luca swallowed hard, his voice barely a whisper. “She’s here.”