A Good Mother

Vincenzo's POV

I didn’t take her to the living room. I couldn't.

It felt too exposed, too far from what I needed to do.

Instead, I guided her to the kitchen, quiet, warm, and lit only by the under-cabinet lights. It felt like another world from the alley, where her scream echoed against my ribs like something breaking.

Viviana sat on a stool, hands folded in her lap.

She was still shaking.

I hat