Marie's POV
The letter trembled in my hands long before I dared to open it. My brother's name alone had shaken me, and for a long time, I sat with the piece of paper clutched to my chest. Mancini, I was sure, had opened all my letters and read.
The thought of Mancini reminded me of his existence, and I quickly opened the letter so he wouldn't meet me there reading a letter from my brother that he ordered to be discarded.
I moved back to the stool before the mirror, though I couldn't look at my own face anymore. The envelope was rumpled from Eliza holding it tight. I made a little prayer that I was glad that there was someone who still cared about me in this forsaken home.
I finally got the letter opened and read it out loud to myself.
"Marie,
I have received your message. I know the way you write,
