Chapter 45

Emilia’s POV The mall was busy for a weekday morning, but I had promised myself a little bit of shopping. I needed a distraction—something to clear my head and make me feel a tad bit normal. I’d finally received my first paycheck as Francesca’s nanny, and while it wasn’t a lot, it was mine. I felt a strange sense of pride as I held the crisp bills in my wallet, like I had achieved something tangible on my own.