"Meadow, will you play at my wedding?" Adriana asked with enthusiasm. "Of course!" I squealed in happiness. I had always liked Adriana. She was such a sweet and caring person.

"Thanks!!"

We hugged each other tightly.

I spent a week writing the perfect song for her and Christopher and practiced it for several weeks.

And then she disappeared.

And I knew.

She was dead.

Just like Jackie Jr.

At first, it was hard for me to believe. But she had been acting strangely the past months. She was paranoid and always visibly upset. Her health began to fail. I knew there had been some great turmoil in her heart. At first I had suspected another man. But she loved Christopher so much.

No, that couldn't have been it.

I finally put two and two together and realized what she had done. What she had been.

Only one fate had awaited her.

I had cried, hiding away from my family and friends for a week, mourning the loss of my friend, who had loved Christopher with all her heart. No matter what he did to her, she always loved him. She was always there for him, encouraging him.

When I finally dried my tears and returned home, I observed Christopher. He was quieter than usual, and sad. He missed her. He had loved her, too. My heart broke.

I wrote a new song. And it was simple. It was from Christopher's perspective.

One day, when my dad was downstairs, I sat in my room, playing the song and remembering Adriana. What I didn't expect was my door to open.

Silvio stood at the doorway, regarding me with that frightening intensity of his. But I continued playing.

"She slipped through my fingers. She slipped through my hands. And now I'm alone. Alone."

He never moved from the doorway.

"And when I think about her, I break down and cry. Cause I loved her, and I'm dying inside.

"My angel loved me, and I tore her down. My angel is lying in the ground."

His features softened in sadness, in quiet understanding.

"And now there's nothing. There's nothing left. I'm alone. There's nobody left.

"Cause she slipped through my fingers. She slipped through my hands. We loved each other. And now she's dead."

My voice cracked, and the tears I had held inside since her death came rushing back. I didn't know why. Maybe because he was there.

I struggled to finish the song.

"So I am alone. I am alone. I am alone. Alone."

Danny almost slipped through my fingers as my shoulders shook violently with the force of my sobs.

He rushed forward and caught the guitar in time, propping it up against the bed. And then I was wrapped inside his strong arms, smelling his faint cologne and feeling his reassuring warmth. I sobbed hard into his shoulder, soaking his shirt with my tears.

"Meadow," he whispered, just like in my dream.

"S—she—she's dead…"

He was silent.

He rubbed my back softly and quieted me.

"He killed her."

He didn't answer.

"My dad didn't do it, did he?"

He paused for a moment. "No."

I didn't ask if he was the one. I didn't want to know. Couldn't know.

"It's not fair."

"But she knew," he whispered. "She knew her fate."

We were silent for a long time, and his hands stroked my back softly. I closed my eyes and relaxed.

"He loved her," I whispered.

His eyes met mine, and I understood. This was the life we had to live. This was the mafia. Love didn't matter. Couldn't matter.

"Silvio."

His eyes begged me not to speak, but I couldn't control the words. "Let's leave."

His eyes avoided mine.

"We can go far away, far away from everything. We can have a new life. A better life."

He stared down, thinking for a moment.

"You would just leave your family? Forget them forever?"

I didn't answer.

"Meadow… once you join the business, you can never leave. That's the way it has been. And will always be."

I had known he would never agree to something so foolish, but I had hoped.

I leaned forward and gently kissed him, and for a moment, he kissed me back. But then he pulled away.

"I have a wife. I have a daughter. And I love them very much.

"And I care about you. I don't want you to be hurt. So push me to the back of your mind. Never think of me again. I will only hurt you."

And it was the truth.

"I'm sorry."

He stood up and kissed my cheek. "Tony is waiting for me. I told him we were talking about your song for Chris and Kelly's wedding."

I nodded.

He stood in the doorway. "My chance slipped through my fingers, Meadow. Long ago."

Silently, I began to cry again.

"Goodbye, Meadow."

I sobbed, and his form blurred through my tears. "Goodbye."

I never spoke to him again.