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"Why us especially?"

"Because your father and I would be killed, Carmine," Corrado said "You’d beco doesn’tthe kid? Why not sell Haven? He didn’t care about her"

"We can’t know for certain," Corrado said, "but Monica Antonelli wasn’t stable She was, uh" He waved his hand as if to think of a word "fuori come un balcone It was the reason they moved to the desert Rest, they called it Rehabilitation from a mental breakdown, but she never recovered I think Frankie took advantage of an unfortunate situation to try to help his wife No one would ever suspect it, and he lived so far away she wouldn’t be seen by anyone who could recognize her"

"Plus, no one keeps small children for labor," Vincent added "You can’t have a toddler washing dishes or cooking meals No one would’ve considered she had been sold and not killed because of that Child slaves end up one place, and they s were still off lihed He had a lot to think about "Is that all? Can I go?"

Corrado snickered "He h sense to wait to be dismissed"

"Not always," Vincent said "So, Havenher She’d haveplayful, but as soon as Corrado came near, it slipped away She netic polarity, always keeping a certain amount of distance from hi to brighten hishiraduation and he felt cheated

Carmine filled a flask with vodka before they set off for the school He pulled the Mazda into the parking lot and got out as Haven nervously looked around "Relax, huh school farewell"

"I just don’t want to embarrass you"

He put his arm around her "You’ll never embarrass me"

"What if I fall down the stairs in front of everyone?"

"You won’t be walking down any stairs"

"Well, I don’t need stairs What if I just fall?"

"You won’t I’ll hold you up"

"What if I take you doith me?"

"You think you can take uess I fall, then Hate to break it to you, but that won’t eet hiccups and interrupt graduation?"

"If that happens, I’ll probably laugh, but whatever You still aren’t gonna embarrassher questions, they were safely seated in the back of the auditoriu classtheir way in Haven watched ide eyes As ridiculous as it all was to hiotten to experience high school

Carmine didn’t knohat to say, so he just sat quietly and watched as Principal Rutledge blabbed about how proud he was Usually Carmine blocked out the inspirational bullshit they spewed, but Haven listened with so

"Take a second to iine your future," the valedictorian said when she stepped to the podiuine your life--your job, your spouse, your kids--but don’t iet all the expectations and concentrate on what you truly want Visualize the road that will take you there That’s your path That’s where you belong"

Car her hair as she laid her head on his shoulder

"None of the truly great in this world beca what they felt they had to do If Isaac Newton had become a farmer like his mother wanted him to, or if Elvis would’ve listened when he was told to stick to truck driving, we’d know neither e to follow the path they envisioned"

The speech wound down, and Haven drank in every word of it

The graduating class threw their caps into the air and everyone filtered out Haven stood off to the side on the plaza with Tess and Dia as Car the school He watched her quietly, absorbing every sown

"Congrats," Car before handing it to his brother

"Thanks" Dominic took a drink and shuddered "You know, Haven looks happy"

Car "Yeah, she does"

"She’s changed a lot these past nine irl who showed up the first day She’s s, and she corrected my vocabulary the other day I said I felt nauseous, and she said the word I wanted was nauseated Fucked me up, bro Didn’t know there was a difference"

He s she’d do"

"She doesn’t flinch any"