Chapter 39

Emilia’s POV I spent the rest of the morning trying to shake off the awkwardness of the encounter. My mind kept replaying the scene—Francesca running up to me, calling me “mommy” with all the innocence in the world, and the shocked look on the woman’s face. I couldn’t quite get a read on her reaction, but it was enough to rattle me. The idea that she could’ve been Francesca’s mother, even if it made no logical sense, had settled into my thoughts like a splinter.