Chapter 3

I was about to refuse when Gemma, who must have woken at some point, wandered into the sitting room on her own.

She saw the cake box in Lorenzo's hands, and her sleepy eyes brightened. She asked in a small voice, "Papa, is that for me?"

Lorenzo crouched down and opened his arms to her with a smile. "Of course it's for Gemma. Come on, let's give Gemma her birthday."

Gemma trotted over and threw herself into his arms, a hint of a smile finally breaking across her face.

Lorenzo carried her to the dining table, past the framed photographs of men who no longer drew breath, and set her down where the candlelight would reach.

He opened the box and pressed the candles into the cake.

She leaned in to read the writing on top, then turned to me, puzzled. "Mama... the writing on the cake, why isn't it my name?"

I looked down at the line of pink letters.

"Happy Birthday, Sweet Chiara."

This cake had never been bought for Gemma at all.

Gemma couldn't read much, but she knew how her own name was spelled.

I lifted my eyes to Lorenzo. "Lorenzo, what is this supposed to mean?"

His face went a little awkward. "I might have grabbed the wrong one..."

Gemma read the words again. "This looks like Chiara's name..."

I bent down and gathered her against me, explaining quickly, "Gemma, someone at the bakery must have been careless and written the wrong name. Tomorrow Mama will go and have them make a new one, okay?"

Gemma didn't say anything, and then the doorbell rang.

Lorenzo got up to answer it, and Rosalind came in carrying Chiara.

She was all smiles. "Lorenzo, did you bring back the birthday cake you bought for Chiara? Perfect timing, Gemma can have a slice too."

Gemma and Chiara's birthdays were only a day apart.

Chiara, in a brand-new princess dress and shiny little dress shoes, bounced inside. The second she spotted the cake on the table she clapped her hands and squealed, "Wow! My cake! Mama, look, it has my name on it!"

Gemma stood beside the chair, both hands hanging at her sides. One small fist found the strawberry hairclip at her collar and closed around it.

She tilted her head up at Lorenzo, her voice soft, carrying a careful, fragile little hope. "Papa... this cake, it was bought for Chiara, wasn't it?"

"The one you bought for me, you just forgot to bring it home, right?"

Lorenzo looked at Gemma, then at Chiara stamping her feet at the edge of the table, and clenched his jaw.

"The cake's big enough. We'll all share it. Be a good girl, Gemma. Why don't you blow out the candles together with Chiara?"

"You're in school now. You should know better."

The hope in Gemma's eyes went out.

I walked over and lifted her into my arms. "Gemma, let's not have any cake, okay? Tomorrow Mama will take you to the amusement park. It's late now. Let's go up, take a bath, and go to sleep."

Rosalind called after me, "Come on, let's all have cake together. Yesterday was Gemma's birthday and she spent it alone. Today it's Chiara's birthday. Isn't it nicer if we all share the cake together?"

I turned my head and looked at her. The room seemed to hold its breath, even Chiara going quiet at the shift in the air. "You have to borrow another woman's husband just to celebrate a birthday? Exactly how starved for love is your daughter?"

"Gemma doesn't need to eat somebody else's cake. She already had her own birthday cake yesterday."

With that, I carried Gemma up the stairs.

Gemma didn't make a fuss.

She buried her face in my neck, so quiet, so good, her fist still shut tight around that little hairclip.

As I carried her up, Lorenzo's voice drifted after us, edged with anger. "Don't bother with them. If they won't eat, fine. We'll celebrate for Chiara. We promised we'd all spend her birthday together."

Rosalind answered with a laugh, and just before it came there was that half-second flick of her eyes toward Lorenzo, checking her light. "It's fine, I'm not upset. I know she's always had a problem with me, but I won't take it to heart."

"Chiara, make a wish! Time to blow out the candles... Lorenzo, help her blow them out."