Page 118 of The Cost of Silence

Rat = snitch.

Article quote = debts, interest, money.

They want me to know this is about the past and the piece I wrote.

They want Nico to know they can walk into his home whenever they feel like it.

My stomach flips but my brain feels… clearer.

Fear and anger make a vicious cocktail, but they’re great for focus.

I add another line at the bottom.

Goal: isolate me emotionally.

Make me feel unsafe everywhere.

Make me doubt that staying with the Mancinis is safer than running.

Make me a liability instead of an asset.

“Joke’s on you,” I tell the page. “I’m stubborn.”

There’s a soft knock at the bedroom door.