CHAPTER 96
KATYA POV
Nonna didn't let go. Not when my sobs turned ugly, not when the words dried up and silence swallowed the room.
I don't know how long we stayed like that — her holding me, me falling apart piece by piece. She just sat there.
"You're not cursed, Katya."
That was the first thing she said since I'd broken down. Her voice was soft but firm as she brushed damp strands of hair from my face.
"Oh, cara mia…" she whispered after a while, voice trembling like she was the one holding back tears. "You've carried so much alone."
I shook my head, I didn't want her trying to say craps like, your going to be ok and shit because it never gets ok but she only tightened her hold.
"Life has been so unfair to you, and yet you're still here. Still standing. That doesn't make you cursed. It makes you human. It makes you stronger than you realize."
The words cracked something open, and I broke down all over again.
