At my daughter Stella's baptism, my husband Tanner's childhood sweetheart publicly humiliated me.

"Hey, Trinity. I heard things are a little... loose down there after you had the baby."

"If it's that bad, you should get it stitched up—can't be spoiling Tanner's fun, can we?"

Tanner shot her a playful glare, his voice exasperated. "Cut it out, Gia! You've had too much to drink."

Then he turned to me and shrugged.

"She's just like that—we grew up together. She has no filter, but she doesn't mean any harm."

Gia gave a little shake, making her cleavage jiggle, and pouted.

"Oh, come on, don't take it personally, Trinity. To be honest, I'm actually a little jealous of you."

"See, I have the opposite problem. I'm too tight down there—it hurts like hell when I get my period. I wonder which lucky guy will get to enjoy that someday."

Then she shot a seductive look at Tanner and winked.

"Oh, right. You've had a taste, haven't you?"

A dead silence descended on the room. Every eye darted toward me, alight with barely concealed curiosity.

I set down my wine glass, a slow smile spreading across my face as I met Gia's gaze with feigned concern.

"That's odd. When I was signing the checks for your... procedures, I don't recall telling the doctor to make you quite that tight."

————————

1

Amid the stunned silence, someone finally let out a bark of laughter.

"Damn, Trinity's got a sharp tongue! That's the first time I've ever seen anyone shut Gia up!"

Others chimed in, cracking jokes to cut the tension.

Tanner seized the moment, wrapping an arm around my waist and whispering in my ear, "Gia didn't mean anything by it. You know how she is—no filter. Why'd you have to go for the throat like that?"

Then he turned to Gia, his voice softening with affection. "See? That's what you get for running your mouth. Trinity put you in your place. Now, go on and apologize."

Gia swallowed whatever she was feeling and raised her glass to me.

"Alright, alright. You got me, Trinity. You've got a hell of a mouth on you."

"Look, I basically grew up with these guys—we've known each other since we were kids. They talk about everything in front of me, no holds barred."

"I just got carried away. Don't take it to heart, okay?"

One of Tanner's friends quickly jumped in to smooth things over. "Exactly! Trinity, you're the family's chief negotiator—you're above this playground stuff."

"She's basically one of the boys, just in lace panties! Ha!"

Another wave of laughter rolled through the table. Gia played along, puffing out her chest. "Oh, please. With this body? You guys have gotten more than your fair share of an eyeful."

She turned to me. "Trinity, what do you think of this necklace? It's the most expensive of Tanner's recent gifts, isn't it?"

Tanner muttered under his breath, "That's enough, Gia."

I glanced at the gaudy diamond necklace on her chest—expensive, but tasteless—and my lip twitched.

Of course it is. I signed the check.

I spoke again, my voice carrying clearly across the room.

"Gia, if you're truly experiencing that 'unique sensation' you described, it sounds suspiciously like a cheap trick I've heard the girls at the downtown clubs use."

"In serious cases, that sort of thing can bring nasty diseases back into the family. I strongly suggest you see a professional and get yourself screened."

I made sure I was loud enough for the Capos at the next table to turn their heads.

Tanner shot to his feet.

"Trinity. Outside. Now."

The heavy wooden doors shut out the noise of the banquet hall. The terrace was much quieter.

Tanner yanked at his tie impatiently.

"What the hell is your problem? You called her dirty in front of everyone? You completely humiliated her!"

I rubbed my wrist where he'd gripped it, leaving a red mark.

"She's the one who had the nerve to bring up your sex life at my daughter's baptism, wasn't she?"

A flicker of guilt crossed his face.

"I knew it. You're still pissed about last night. We were playing Truth or Dare. We're all adults—we make jokes like that. It's not what you think."

I sneered. "Tanner, you're pathetic."

His eyes went cold, his jaw tightening.

"Do you have to make everything so damn ugly?"

"Gia was right—you've become impossible since having the baby. That's all she meant."

His words stung like a slap. I was about to fire back when a sharp, piercing cry erupted from the banquet hall.

I shoved past Tanner and ran back inside.

When I burst through the door and saw the scene, my blood ran cold.

Gia was holding Stella with one arm and a glass of amber liquid in the other, pressing the rim to my baby's tiny mouth.

"Here you go, sweetheart! Have a little taste of Don Salvatore's private-stock grappa!"

"Got to build up a good palate from a young age!"

Tanner's friends were egging her on, cheering and hollering.

The liquid trickled into my daughter's crying mouth. The harsh liquor burned her instantly—Stella's wails turned to terrified, hoarse screams, her little limbs flailing inside her baptismal gown.

But Gia just laughed, tightening her grip on the baby as she tilted the glass even further.

"What are you doing!?"

I slapped her hand with all my strength.

The glass flew from her grasp, shattering on the stone floor.

I snatched Stella into my arms. She was choking and sputtering against my chest.

"Shh, baby, Mommy's here..."

I patted her back gently. My fingers found a damp, cold patch—Gia had been squeezing her so hard, she'd made the diaper leak.

Tanner rushed in right behind me. He saw me rip our daughter from Gia's arms, sending Gia stumbling to the floor.

His first instinct was to rush to Gia's side. He grabbed her arm, hauling her up as he roared at me:

"Trinity, what the fuck is wrong with you? Why the hell did you attack her?"

He didn't even spare a glance for our daughter, who was sobbing for breath.

I clutched Stella tightly, my gaze like ice.

"Tanner, why don't you ask your friend what she was just doing?"

"Feeding grappa to a three-month-old. You could have killed her!"

Tanner froze. His eyes flickered to the amber puddle on the floor, his expression stiffening.

But Gia was already rubbing her arm, her face a mask of wronged innocence.

"Trinity, come on. When I was teething, my grandpa used to rub whiskey on my gums. It's not a big deal."

"It makes them tougher! I was just giving my little niece a blessing!"

I was shaking with rage. I pulled out my phone. "Hello, Dr. Evans? I need—"

Smack.

The phone was knocked from my hand, clattering to the floor. Tanner stood over me, his chest heaving.

"Are you really calling a doctor for this? On a day like today, you're going to ruin everything for everyone?"

"Okay, she was wrong, but she didn't mean any harm. Do you have to make a federal case out of it?"

I stared at the man I had married, and for the first time, I saw a total stranger.

"Tanner..." My voice sounded hollow, even to my own ears.

"You're the heir to the Cianci family. You know perfectly well what hard liquor does to an infant."

"That is your daughter."

"What is going on here?" Tanner's parents pushed through the gawking crowd, their faces grim.

Don Salvatore strode forward, his voice a low rumble of authority. "Turning a perfectly good baptism into a circus. What a disgrace."

I pointed a trembling finger at the shattered glass. "Gia fed grappa to Stella. I need to call a doctor."

"Grappa?" Don Salvatore paused, then let out a dismissive snort.

"For that? When Tanner was a baby, I used to let him lick grappa off my finger. Look at him, he turned out just fine."

Tanner's mother, Donna Lucia, jabbed a finger in my face.

"She's fine! What's the big deal? A little liquor won't kill her!"

"Gia is a good girl. We've watched her grow up. You're the outsider here, so don't you dare point a finger at her!"

I looked at Tanner's silence, at his parents' twisted excuses, and at Gia standing off to the side, a triumphant smirk playing on her lips.

A wave of bone-deep disgust washed over me.

I took a deep breath and turned for the door.

"Where are you going?" Tanner yelled after me.

"The clinic," I said without turning. "And Gia, if anything happens to my daughter, I swear to God I will kill you with my bare hands."

Thank God—Stella had barely swallowed any grappa. Most of it had come out with her cries. But she was still terrified, fussy, and weak.

Ronan lowered his stethoscope, relief washing over his face.

"What happened? Isn't today Stella's baptism?"

When I didn't answer, he didn't push it. He picked up a small, pink-wrapped box from his desk and handed it to me.

"I had an important meeting I couldn't get out of, so I couldn't make the ceremony."

His voice was warm. "This is for Stella."

While I stayed with the baby in the observation room, Tanner texted me: "How is she? My father said you're overreacting, running to the ER for nothing."

I didn't reply. I just turned off my phone.

At one in the morning, I walked into my home with a sleeping Stella in my arms.

A figure was standing in the middle of my living room. It was Gia, and she was wearing my favorite silk nightgown.

She saw me and let out an exaggerated "Oh!"

"You're back! I didn't bring a change of clothes, so Tanner said I could borrow yours. You don't mind, do you?"

"Where's Tanner?"

I ignored the way she deliberately let a strap slide from her shoulder.

Gia pouted, then picked up my perfume from the console table. She spritzed it on her neck, sauntering around the room as if she owned it.

"He's in the study, on the phone with his father. You look exhausted, Trinity—here, give me the baby. I can help take care of her from now on."

I sidestepped her outstretched hands. "No, thank you."

Tanner came out of the study just then, catching the motion. His face darkened.

"What did the doctor say?"

I laid Stella on the sofa and gently checked her tiny hands and feet.

"She's in shock. An acute stress reaction. The doctor said to watch her closely."

Tanner's relief was palpable.

"See? I told you she'd be fine. You had to go and make a big deal—"

I ignored him, my eyes scanning the room. "Where's Mrs. Gable?"

She was the professional nanny I'd hired for Stella.

Tanner faltered. "I, uh... I let her go."

"Gia loves kids. I figured she could help out. One of our own is always better than some stranger."

Gia sashayed over, pulling the silk robe tighter around herself.

"Don't you worry, Trinity. I'm the best with kids, always have been. You two can focus on work and leave the baby to me."

Seeing my stony expression, she chuckled.

"Oh, right, right—today was my fault. Let me make it up to you!"

She grabbed the half-empty bottle of red wine from the coffee table and made a show of tilting it back as if to chug it.

Tanner snatched it away. "Come on, you can't handle that."

His tone was chiding, but the affection on his face was unmistakable.

Watching their little performance, I scooped up my daughter and headed for the door.

It took Tanner a second to react before he moved to block my path.

"Where are you going in the middle of the night? Can you stop acting so crazy?"

"Crazy?" I let out a sharp, humorless laugh.

"Your 'one of our own' is wearing my nightgown, using my perfume, and about to 'help' with my daughter while drunk."

"Tanner, who's the crazy one here?"

Gia tossed her hair. "Wow, someone's jealous. I was just trying to be helpful. Tanner, your wife clearly has it in for me. Maybe I should just leave."

"Enough!" Tanner raked a hand through his hair.

"Trinity, she already apologized. For the love of God, can we just let it go?"

He glanced at the baby in my arms, and his voice softened. "Don't make Stella suffer because you're mad."

I said nothing. Stella was still running a low fever. The night air was cold. I couldn't drag her back out there.

"I want Mrs. Gable back here by tomorrow morning."

"Fine, fine! Whatever you want."

I took Stella to the guest room. Mrs. Gable's supplies were still there.

Tanner and Gia stayed in the living room, their low laughter carrying through the walls until well after midnight. Even when Stella woke up crying, he never once came to check on her.

As dawn approached, I dragged my exhausted body out of bed for the fourth time to check Stella's temperature.

Just then, a giggle drifted from the master bedroom. "God, look how ugly that thing on your back is!"

A chill snaked down my spine. I crept to the door.

It was slightly ajar. Tanner was passed out on the bed, drunk. Gia was pointing gleefully at his back, where the lily tattoo symbolizing me had been covered up by an ugly, freshly-inked black panther.

It was her symbol. She always said she was as wild and deadly as a panther.

"What are you two doing?"

Gia jumped. She spun around, a defiant smirk on her face.

"Oh! You're up. I just thought the tattoo was interesting, so I was... admiring it."

Seeing my expression, she shrugged. "What? Mad again? Come on, let's talk this out."

She reached for me. I flinched back, stumbling against the dresser.

"Give it back!"

Furious, I snatched the heavy crystal ashtray from the table. Gia jerked back, and the edge of the ashtray gashed her arm.

"Trinity, what the fuck are you doing?!"

Tanner lunged forward, shoving me hard.

I stumbled back, my spine slamming against the sharp corner of the marble fireplace with a sickening thud.

He didn't even look at me. He knelt to help Gia, cradling her as his voice tightened with worry.

"Gia, are you okay?"

Gia touched her arm and winced. "God, Trinity, you really play rough..."

Tanner swept her up into his arms. She let out a small shriek and buried her face in his neck.

"I'm taking Gia to the family doctor. Trinity—you've gone too far this time."

After they left, I felt the dampness spreading across my lower back. I reached back and my hand came away sticky with blood from a long, deep gash.

I felt nothing. Just a hollow, dull ache.

I called Mrs. Gable, told her I was going to the hospital, and asked her to be at the house in five minutes.