Chapter 5
I stared at her.
"Kneel," she repeated, taking another grape. "Right here. Apologize for every time you've embarrassed me since you came back. Then maybe — maybe — I'll consider giving you that dusty old violin."
My nails dug into my palms. The urge to grab her by the throat burned through me so intensely my arms shook.
But that violin was the last recording of my mother's playing. The only proof she had existed. The only thing Madeleine's mother hadn't managed to destroy.
My knees bent.
I knelt on the cold marble floor of my own mother's house.
"I'm sorry," I said. The words tasted like ash. "Please give me the violin."
Madeleine smiled — slow, satisfied, victorious. She reached behind the sofa and pulled out the violin case.
My heart hammered. She unlatched it.
Inside, the violin gleamed — old wood, dark varnish, my mother's initials carved near the scroll. Tears blurred my vision.
Madeleine lifted it with two fingers, dangling it carelessly. "You want it this badly?"
"Yes." My voice broke. "Please."
She extended it toward me. I reached up—
And she let go.
The violin hit the marble floor. The neck snapped. The body cracked down the center with a sound that went through me like a bullet.
"Oops." Madeleine pressed her hand to her mouth. "How clumsy of me."
I couldn't breathe. I couldn't think. I stared at the broken pieces of the only thing I had left of my mother, and something inside me came apart with it.
"YOU—" I lunged at her.
"What's going on?"
Dominic's voice cracked through the room. He appeared in the doorway, took one look at me on my knees grabbing Madeleine's wrist, and his face turned to stone.
In an instant, Madeleine transformed. Tears spilled down her cheeks. "Dom! She attacked me — I was just trying to give her the violin as a gift, and she grabbed me—"
He was across the room in three strides. His hand closed around my arm and wrenched me back so hard I hit the floor.
"Are you hurt?" He pulled Madeleine into his arms, examining her wrist.
"I'm okay," she whimpered. "But the violin broke. I feel so bad…"
I pushed myself up, my whole body trembling. "She broke it on purpose. She made me kneel and then she—"
"Enough." Dominic's eyes were ice. "I am done listening to you blame Madeleine for everything. She tried to give you a gift, and this is how you respond? Violence?"
"Look at the security cameras!" I shouted. "They'll show you—"
"I don't need cameras to know what happened." He stepped toward me, his voice dropping low and dangerous. "You've been tormenting Madeleine since you arrived. Making up stories about being married. Trying to guilt her at every turn. This ends now."
He looked down at me with absolute contempt. "Tomorrow is our engagement dinner. You will attend. You will sit quietly. And you will not cause a scene. If you do, I will make sure you never set foot in Astoria again."
He guided Madeleine toward the stairs. She leaned into him, sobbing softly.
Just before they disappeared, she turned her head and looked back at me — still on the floor, surrounded by broken wood and snapped strings.
She smiled.
I sat there for a long time. My hands found the pieces of the violin. I gathered them one by one, cradling the broken neck like a wounded thing.
"Mom," I whispered. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
Then I pulled out my phone and called Ethan.
He picked up on the first ring. "Julie?"
"Can you come sooner?" My voice cracked. I couldn't hold it together anymore. "I need you. I need you here."
Silence. Then, quiet and absolute: "I'm already on my way."
---
"Kneel," she repeated, taking another grape. "Right here. Apologize for every time you've embarrassed me since you came back. Then maybe — maybe — I'll consider giving you that dusty old violin."
My nails dug into my palms. The urge to grab her by the throat burned through me so intensely my arms shook.
But that violin was the last recording of my mother's playing. The only proof she had existed. The only thing Madeleine's mother hadn't managed to destroy.
My knees bent.
I knelt on the cold marble floor of my own mother's house.
"I'm sorry," I said. The words tasted like ash. "Please give me the violin."
Madeleine smiled — slow, satisfied, victorious. She reached behind the sofa and pulled out the violin case.
My heart hammered. She unlatched it.
Inside, the violin gleamed — old wood, dark varnish, my mother's initials carved near the scroll. Tears blurred my vision.
Madeleine lifted it with two fingers, dangling it carelessly. "You want it this badly?"
"Yes." My voice broke. "Please."
She extended it toward me. I reached up—
And she let go.
The violin hit the marble floor. The neck snapped. The body cracked down the center with a sound that went through me like a bullet.
"Oops." Madeleine pressed her hand to her mouth. "How clumsy of me."
I couldn't breathe. I couldn't think. I stared at the broken pieces of the only thing I had left of my mother, and something inside me came apart with it.
"YOU—" I lunged at her.
"What's going on?"
Dominic's voice cracked through the room. He appeared in the doorway, took one look at me on my knees grabbing Madeleine's wrist, and his face turned to stone.
In an instant, Madeleine transformed. Tears spilled down her cheeks. "Dom! She attacked me — I was just trying to give her the violin as a gift, and she grabbed me—"
He was across the room in three strides. His hand closed around my arm and wrenched me back so hard I hit the floor.
"Are you hurt?" He pulled Madeleine into his arms, examining her wrist.
"I'm okay," she whimpered. "But the violin broke. I feel so bad…"
I pushed myself up, my whole body trembling. "She broke it on purpose. She made me kneel and then she—"
"Enough." Dominic's eyes were ice. "I am done listening to you blame Madeleine for everything. She tried to give you a gift, and this is how you respond? Violence?"
"Look at the security cameras!" I shouted. "They'll show you—"
"I don't need cameras to know what happened." He stepped toward me, his voice dropping low and dangerous. "You've been tormenting Madeleine since you arrived. Making up stories about being married. Trying to guilt her at every turn. This ends now."
He looked down at me with absolute contempt. "Tomorrow is our engagement dinner. You will attend. You will sit quietly. And you will not cause a scene. If you do, I will make sure you never set foot in Astoria again."
He guided Madeleine toward the stairs. She leaned into him, sobbing softly.
Just before they disappeared, she turned her head and looked back at me — still on the floor, surrounded by broken wood and snapped strings.
She smiled.
I sat there for a long time. My hands found the pieces of the violin. I gathered them one by one, cradling the broken neck like a wounded thing.
"Mom," I whispered. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
Then I pulled out my phone and called Ethan.
He picked up on the first ring. "Julie?"
"Can you come sooner?" My voice cracked. I couldn't hold it together anymore. "I need you. I need you here."
Silence. Then, quiet and absolute: "I'm already on my way."
---