For several seconds, I could hear nothing except the soft hum of Mia\u2019s refrigerator.<\/p>\n
Not Leo breathing against my shoulder.<\/p>\n
Not the traffic beyond the apartment windows.<\/p>\n
Not even my own heartbeat.<\/p>\n
I stared at Dante.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy father is dead.\u201d<\/p>\n
The words came out quietly.<\/p>\n
Too quietly.<\/p>\n
Dante didn\u2019t move.<\/p>\n
Leo had wrapped both arms around my neck, sensing the tension even if he couldn\u2019t understand it. His warm cheek pressed against mine.<\/p>\n
I held him tighter.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy father died three years ago,\u201d I repeated. \u201cI signed the paperwork.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dante\u2019s expression changed.<\/p>\n
Not guilt.<\/p>\n
Something worse.<\/p>\n
Pity.<\/p>\n
I hated that look immediately.<\/p>\n
\u201cElena.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stepped backward.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t say my name like that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mia came closer, hovering protectively near Leo and me.<\/p>\n
Dante glanced toward the envelope lying on the table.<\/p>\n
Victoria\u2019s handwriting stared up at us.<\/p>\n
**Ask Elena why her father really died.**<\/p>\n
Then Dante looked at me again.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe man buried under your father\u2019s name wasn\u2019t your father.\u201d<\/p>\n
A cold sensation moved through my body.<\/p>\n
I laughed once.<\/p>\n
A small, disbelieving sound.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s impossible.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought so too.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou thought so?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI started investigating after you disappeared.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach twisted.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
Dante\u2019s gaze dropped to Leo.<\/p>\n
Because of him, I realized.<\/p>\n
Because of me.<\/p>\n
Because apparently Dante Moretti had spent three years searching through the wreckage he had created.<\/p>\n
He looked back at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere were things about your father\u2019s death that never made sense.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou never told me that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were gone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew where I was.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew the country.\u201d<\/p>\n
My breath caught.<\/p>\n
Dante continued carefully.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t know the city. I didn\u2019t know where you lived. You closed your accounts, changed your number, stopped speaking to nearly everyone connected to Chicago.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Mia.<\/p>\n
She lifted both hands.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t look at me. I was excellent.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite everything, Leo giggled softly.<\/p>\n
The sound broke something inside the room.<\/p>\n
For one strange second, all four adults looked at him.<\/p>\n
Leo grinned.<\/p>\n
Then his eyes landed on Dante.<\/p>\n
The grin faded.<\/p>\n
That same tiny serious frown appeared.<\/p>\n
Dante stared at him.<\/p>\n
I saw his composure crack again.<\/p>\n
He looked away first.<\/p>\n
\u201cMommy,\u201d Leo whispered, \u201ccan we go home?\u201d<\/p>\n
My chest tightened.<\/p>\n
Zurich.<\/p>\n
Our apartment with its pale wooden floors.<\/p>\n
Leo\u2019s little blue cup beside the sink.<\/p>\n
The bakery downstairs where the woman behind the counter always saved him the smallest chocolate croissant.<\/p>\n
The park where he chased pigeons.<\/p>\n
The quiet life I had built from the pieces of another one.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes,\u201d I whispered. \u201cSoon.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dante\u2019s eyes returned to mine.<\/p>\n
Something unreadable passed through them.<\/p>\n
Then he said, \u201cYou shouldn\u2019t stay here tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n
I gave him a sharp look.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not going anywhere with you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not asking you to.\u201d<\/p>\n
That surprised me.<\/p>\n
He reached into his coat pocket slowly and placed a key card on the table.<\/p>\n
\u201cMia, I own an apartment in the Gold Coast. No one connected to the Moretti family knows I own it except my lawyer. Take Elena and Leo there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mia stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re giving me the address?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you\u2019re not coming?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
I narrowed my eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are you planning?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFinding your father.\u201d<\/p>\n
A chill traveled down my spine.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou said he\u2019s alive.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI said I believe he\u2019s alive.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s not the same thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
His voice was gentle.<\/p>\n
And somehow that made me angrier.<\/p>\n
I put Leo down.<\/p>\n
He immediately took my hand.<\/p>\n
I looked at Dante.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t get to give me fragments anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n
His jaw tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cFragments?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor eight years, you decided what I could handle. You decided what I should know. You decided what you were protecting me from.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cElena\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
My voice shook.<\/p>\n
Not loudly.<\/p>\n
But enough.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t get ten minutes anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n
He went still.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you know something about my father, you tell me everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mia quietly led Leo toward the kitchen.<\/p>\n
\u201cHey, buddy. Want to help me find cookies?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI like cookies.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI have several varieties.\u201d<\/p>\n
Leo immediately followed her.<\/p>\n
The second they disappeared around the corner, I looked back at Dante.<\/p>\n
\u201cStart talking.\u201d<\/p>\n
He studied my face.<\/p>\n
Then he sat down.<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n
For several moments, Dante said nothing.<\/p>\n
Finally, he reached inside his coat and removed a folded document.<\/p>\n
He pushed it across the table.<\/p>\n
I stared at it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA hospital record.\u201d<\/p>\n
I unfolded it.<\/p>\n
My eyes scanned the page.<\/p>\n
Name.<\/p>\n
Date.<\/p>\n
Emergency admission.<\/p>\n
The date was two days after my father had supposedly died.<\/p>\n
My throat tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat could be anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt could.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at the patient name.<\/p>\n
**John Mercer.**<\/p>\n
\u201cThat isn\u2019t my father.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dante tapped one line with his finger.<\/p>\n
Blood type.<\/p>\n
O negative.<\/p>\n
I stopped breathing.<\/p>\n
My father had O negative blood.<\/p>\n
So did I.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s uncommon,\u201d Dante said quietly. \u201cBut not proof.\u201d<\/p>\n
My eyes moved lower.<\/p>\n
There was a note about an old surgical scar beneath the left shoulder.<\/p>\n
My fingers tightened around the paper.<\/p>\n
My father had one.<\/p>\n
He had fallen from a roof when he was nineteen.<\/p>\n
I knew because he told the story every Thanksgiving after too much wine.<\/p>\n
I slowly lowered the page.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere did you get this?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA doctor.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat doctor?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOne who disappeared a week after this record was created.\u201d<\/p>\n
My skin went cold.<\/p>\n
\u201cDisappeared?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe left Chicago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t know?\u201d<\/p>\n
Dante\u2019s mouth tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
I pressed both hands against the table.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened to the patient?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe record says he was transferred.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe destination was removed.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cRemoved by who?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s what I\u2019ve been trying to discover.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor three years?\u201d<\/p>\n
His eyes held mine.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
A strange anger rose inside me.<\/p>\n
Hot and painful.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou spent three years investigating my father but couldn\u2019t spend three years telling me why you married my sister?\u201d<\/p>\n
His face changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cElena.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou found hospital records. Doctors. Transfers.\u201d<\/p>\n
My voice broke.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut you couldn\u2019t find me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI tried.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot hard enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
His expression hardened for the first time.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou think I didn\u2019t?\u201d<\/p>\n
The room shifted.<\/p>\n
Dante stood.<\/p>\n
Not threatening.<\/p>\n
Just suddenly unable to remain seated.<\/p>\n
\u201cI searched for you for sixteen months.\u201d<\/p>\n
I blinked.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hired investigators in Switzerland, France, Italy, Germany. Every time someone found a trace, it disappeared.\u201d<\/p>\n
My anger faltered.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSomeone was helping you stay hidden.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMia.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked toward the kitchen.<\/p>\n
Dante shook his head.<\/p>\n
\u201cMia protected your location. But someone else was erasing the trails behind you before my people reached them.\u201d<\/p>\n
My pulse stumbled.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
The answer sat between us.<\/p>\n
Again.<\/p>\n
I laughed bitterly.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t seem to know very much for the most powerful man in Chicago.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dante accepted the insult without reacting.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s what scares me.\u201d<\/p>\n
I frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m used to knowing who moves money, who makes deals, who owes favors, who crosses borders. For three years, someone has been staying ahead of me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cVictoria?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought so.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd now?\u201d<\/p>\n
He glanced at the envelope.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow I think Victoria may be following someone else\u2019s plan.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou think my sister is being controlled?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
His answer came immediately.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think Victoria is too ambitious to be controlled.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat sounds more like her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut ambitious people can still be useful to someone smarter.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked down at the photograph of Leo.<\/p>\n
My son.<\/p>\n
Taken that morning.<\/p>\n
Someone had known where we were almost immediately after landing.<\/p>\n
Maybe before.<\/p>\n
My stomach turned.<\/p>\n
\u201cDante.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow did Victoria know Leo existed?\u201d<\/p>\n
His silence answered before his words did.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n
For three years, I had believed distance made us safe.<\/p>\n
I had believed Switzerland was far enough.<\/p>\n
That anonymity was protection.<\/p>\n
That Leo\u2019s small world belonged only to us.<\/p>\n
I opened my eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf she knew, why wait until now?\u201d<\/p>\n
Dante\u2019s expression darkened.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the question.\u201d<\/p>\n
Behind us, Leo shouted happily.<\/p>\n
\u201cI found chocolate!\u201d<\/p>\n
Mia answered, \u201cYou found my emergency supply.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCan I have emergency chocolate?\u201d<\/p>\n
Dante and I looked at each other.<\/p>\n
For some reason, the absurdity of it almost made me laugh.<\/p>\n
Almost.<\/p>\n
Then Leo came running back carrying a cookie.<\/p>\n
Chocolate covered one side of his mouth.<\/p>\n
He stopped between us.<\/p>\n
His eyes moved from me to Dante.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re still here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dante\u2019s entire face softened.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Leo considered that.<\/p>\n
Then held out the cookie.<\/p>\n
Dante stared at it.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can have some.\u201d<\/p>\n
For one second, I saw something I had never seen during all the years I loved him.<\/p>\n
Dante Moretti was afraid.<\/p>\n
Not of enemies.<\/p>\n
Not of losing money.<\/p>\n
Not of dying.<\/p>\n
He was afraid of a three-year-old child offering him half a cookie.<\/p>\n
He crouched slowly.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s yours.\u201d<\/p>\n
Leo looked at the cookie.<\/p>\n
Then back at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can share.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dante swallowed.<\/p>\n
His hand lifted.<\/p>\n
He broke off the smallest piece.<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Leo nodded solemnly.<\/p>\n
Then he walked back to Mia.<\/p>\n
Dante remained crouched for another second.<\/p>\n
When he stood, his eyes were shining.<\/p>\n
I turned away.<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t want to see it.<\/p>\n
Because anger was simple.<\/p>\n
Anger had kept me alive.<\/p>\n
Anger had helped me leave Chicago.<\/p>\n
Anger had carried me through pregnancy appointments alone, through sleepless nights, through Leo\u2019s first fever, first steps, first word.<\/p>\n
If Dante became human again, anger would become complicated.<\/p>\n
And I wasn\u2019t ready for complicated.<\/p>\n
Not yet.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to see my father.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dante looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf he\u2019s alive, I want to find him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou will.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stepped closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will.\u201d<\/p>\n
His eyebrows lifted slightly.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m coming with you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cElena.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou just told me somebody has been hiding my father for three years.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd someone has been tracking my son.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you think I\u2019m going to sit in an apartment while you decide what information I\u2019m allowed to have?\u201d<\/p>\n
His jaw tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was going to say I think you should leave Chicago.\u201d<\/p>\n
I almost smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s not happening.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI assumed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou used to be smarter.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI used to sleep more.\u201d<\/p>\n
The old rhythm of us slipped into the room so easily that it frightened me.<\/p>\n
I looked away.<\/p>\n
Dante did too.<\/p>\n
The silence afterward felt more dangerous than the argument.<\/p>\n
Finally, Mia returned.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hate to interrupt whatever emotionally devastating conversation this is, but Leo needs a nap.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t need a nap.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou just yawned.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was breathing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mia nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cVery dramatically.\u201d<\/p>\n
Leo crossed his arms.<\/p>\n
Dante made a strange sound.<\/p>\n
I looked at him.<\/p>\n
He was trying not to laugh.<\/p>\n
Leo noticed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
Dante cleared his throat.<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou laughed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI did not.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou did.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dante glanced at me.<\/p>\n
I raised an eyebrow.<\/p>\n
He surrendered.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe a little.\u201d<\/p>\n
Leo studied him.<\/p>\n
Then, unexpectedly, smiled.<\/p>\n
My heart twisted.<\/p>\n
Dante looked like someone had handed him the world.<\/p>\n
That was when I realized something terrifying.<\/p>\n
I had spent three years protecting Leo from Dante.<\/p>\n
But I had never considered that one day Leo might want him.<\/p>\n
Not the Mafia boss.<\/p>\n
Not the man who married my sister.<\/p>\n
His father.<\/p>\n
I suddenly needed air.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m taking Leo to the apartment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mia nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll come.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dante reached for his coat.<\/p>\n
I looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re not coming.\u201d<\/p>\n
He stopped.<\/p>\n
Every instinct in him clearly wanted to argue.<\/p>\n
But he didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay.\u201d<\/p>\n
The word surprised me.<\/p>\n
I turned toward the door.<\/p>\n
\u201cElena.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stopped.<\/p>\n
Dante stood several feet away.<\/p>\n
\u201cI won\u2019t come to the apartment.\u201d<\/p>\n
I waited.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut there will be security outside.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI said no.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I heard you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDante.\u201d<\/p>\n
His eyes moved toward Leo.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the one thing I won\u2019t negotiate.\u201d<\/p>\n
My temper rose.<\/p>\n
\u201cExcuse me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can hate me. You can refuse to speak to me. You can go back to Zurich when this is finished.\u201d<\/p>\n
His voice lowered.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut while someone is watching my son, I will protect him.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t get to call him your son whenever it helps your argument.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pain flashed across his face.<\/p>\n
Good.<\/p>\n
Part of me wanted it there.<\/p>\n
Then Leo spoke.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe is my dad?\u201d<\/p>\n
The room went silent.<\/p>\n
I turned.<\/p>\n
Leo stood near Mia.<\/p>\n
His cookie forgotten in one hand.<\/p>\n
My heart stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cLeo.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cMia said he\u2019s my dad.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mia\u2019s eyes widened.<\/p>\n
\u201cI absolutely did not.\u201d<\/p>\n
Leo frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou said he has my eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mia closed hers.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh.\u201d<\/p>\n
Leo looked at Dante.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you?\u201d<\/p>\n
Dante froze.<\/p>\n
I could see the battle happening inside him.<\/p>\n
He wanted to say yes.<\/p>\n
Every part of him wanted to say it.<\/p>\n
But he looked at me first.<\/p>\n
Not Leo.<\/p>\n
Me.<\/p>\n
For permission.<\/p>\n
That nearly broke me more than anything else.<\/p>\n
I knelt beside Leo.<\/p>\n
My mind raced through every careful explanation I had imagined giving him one day.<\/p>\n
None of them belonged here.<\/p>\n
None of them started in Mia\u2019s apartment with Victoria\u2019s threat sitting on a table and my dead father possibly alive.<\/p>\n
But childhood did not wait for adults to be ready.<\/p>\n
I brushed hair from Leo\u2019s forehead.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you remember when you asked me why some children have dads living with them and some don\u2019t?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I told you families can look different?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
I swallowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell… Dante is your father.\u201d<\/p>\n
Leo turned immediately.<\/p>\n
Dante stopped breathing.<\/p>\n
Leo studied him for several long seconds.<\/p>\n
Then asked, \u201cWhere were you?\u201d<\/p>\n
Dante\u2019s face collapsed.<\/p>\n
I looked down.<\/p>\n
I couldn\u2019t help him.<\/p>\n
This answer belonged to him.<\/p>\n
He crouched.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t know about you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Leo tilted his head.<\/p>\n
\u201cMommy didn\u2019t tell you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Leo looked at me.<\/p>\n
I forced myself not to defend the decision.<\/p>\n
Not yet.<\/p>\n
Dante continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I had known, I would have wanted to meet you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Leo considered this.<\/p>\n
Then asked, \u201cDo you like dinosaurs?\u201d<\/p>\n
I nearly laughed.<\/p>\n
Dante blinked.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know very much about dinosaurs.\u201d<\/p>\n
Leo\u2019s eyes widened with genuine alarm.<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cVery little.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s bad.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m beginning to understand that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have to know T. rex.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve heard of that one.\u201d<\/p>\n
Leo shook his head.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s not enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dante looked at me.<\/p>\n
There was helplessness in his eyes.<\/p>\n
I bit the inside of my cheek.<\/p>\n
Leo took one step closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can teach you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dante\u2019s voice almost failed him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d like that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Leo nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay.\u201d<\/p>\n
And just like that, the moment passed for him.<\/p>\n
Children were strange that way.<\/p>\n
Adults built walls over years.<\/p>\n
Children sometimes walked through the door because nobody had told them it was supposed to be locked.<\/p>\n
Leo reached for my hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cI still don\u2019t need a nap.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou definitely do.\u201d<\/p>\n
He sighed dramatically.<\/p>\n
I lifted him.<\/p>\n
As I carried him toward the door, Dante spoke behind me.<\/p>\n
\u201cElena.\u201d<\/p>\n
I turned.<\/p>\n
He didn\u2019t smile.<\/p>\n
But his face was softer.<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor answering him honestly.\u201d<\/p>\n
I held his gaze.<\/p>\n
\u201cI won\u2019t lie to my son.\u201d<\/p>\n
Something passed through his eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
We left.<\/p>\n
***<\/p>\n
The apartment Dante had given us was nothing like I expected.<\/p>\n
I had assumed marble.<\/p>\n
Gold.<\/p>\n
Some absurd view designed to remind visitors they were standing inside the property of a wealthy man.<\/p>\n
Instead, the apartment was quiet.<\/p>\n
Warm.<\/p>\n
Bookshelves covered one wall.<\/p>\n
A grand piano sat near the windows.<\/p>\n
There were family photographs everywhere.<\/p>\n
Not Dante.<\/p>\n
His mother.<\/p>\n
His grandparents.<\/p>\n
People I had never met.<\/p>\n
Dante as a boy.<\/p>\n
I stopped in front of that one.<\/p>\n
He couldn\u2019t have been older than five.<\/p>\n
Dark hair falling over his forehead.<\/p>\n
Serious gray eyes.<\/p>\n
The resemblance to Leo was unbearable.<\/p>\n
Mia appeared beside me.<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay.\u201d<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t move.<\/p>\n
She looked at the photograph.<\/p>\n
Then at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay,\u201d she repeated.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t say anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were going to.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was going to say genetics are rude.\u201d<\/p>\n
I almost smiled.<\/p>\n
Leo ran into the room wearing socks and immediately discovered the piano.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
I pointed at him.<\/p>\n
He froze with both hands raised.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t touch it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were thinking about it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was looking.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWith your fingers.\u201d<\/p>\n
He grinned.<\/p>\n
Mia took him toward the bedroom.<\/p>\n
\u201cCome on, tiny criminal. Nap.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not criminal.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen stop planning crimes against expensive instruments.\u201d<\/p>\n
Their voices disappeared down the hallway.<\/p>\n
I stood alone in the living room.<\/p>\n
For the first time since landing in Chicago, there was silence.<\/p>\n
Real silence.<\/p>\n
It lasted exactly ten seconds.<\/p>\n
My phone rang.<\/p>\n
Unknown number.<\/p>\n
My body went cold.<\/p>\n
I almost didn\u2019t answer.<\/p>\n
Then I remembered Victoria.<\/p>\n
My father.<\/p>\n
Leo.<\/p>\n
I pressed accept.<\/p>\n
\u201cHello?\u201d<\/p>\n
Nothing.<\/p>\n
\u201cHello?\u201d<\/p>\n
Static.<\/p>\n
Then breathing.<\/p>\n
Very faint.<\/p>\n
My fingers tightened around the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho is this?\u201d<\/p>\n
A man spoke.<\/p>\n
One word.<\/p>\n
\u201cElena?\u201d<\/p>\n
My knees nearly gave way.<\/p>\n
The voice was older.<\/p>\n
Weaker.<\/p>\n
But I knew it.<\/p>\n
I knew it before my mind allowed me to.<\/p>\n
\u201cDad?\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
My vision blurred.<\/p>\n
\u201cDad?\u201d<\/p>\n
The line crackled.<\/p>\n
Then:<\/p>\n
\u201cYou came back.\u201d<\/p>\n
I pressed a hand over my mouth.<\/p>\n
Tears spilled down my face.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere are you?\u201d<\/p>\n
A pause.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you alone?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
My voice shook.<\/p>\n
\u201cMia is here. Leo is here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLeo?\u201d<\/p>\n
I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy son.\u201d<\/p>\n
The silence on the line changed.<\/p>\n
Something between shock and grief.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have a son?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow old?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAlmost three.\u201d<\/p>\n
He breathed out.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, Elena.\u201d<\/p>\n
My heart cracked.<\/p>\n
\u201cDad, where are you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cListen to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
His voice sharpened.<\/p>\n
The father I remembered returned in that tone.<\/p>\n
The man who had taught me to ride a bicycle.<\/p>\n
Who had worked late and still attended every school recital.<\/p>\n
Who had driven through a snowstorm because I called from college with a flat tire.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo not tell Dante you spoke to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stopped breathing.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo not tell him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPromise me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cElena.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
I wiped my face angrily.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t get to disappear for three years and call me out of nowhere demanding promises.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou let me think you were dead.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI buried you.\u201d<\/p>\n
His voice broke.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
I pressed my forehead against the window.<\/p>\n
Chicago stretched below me.<\/p>\n
Cold.<\/p>\n
Bright.<\/p>\n
Unchanged.<\/p>\n
\u201cI stood beside your grave.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI came home from Europe for the funeral.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cElena\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI cried for months.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
I straightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow do you know?\u201d<\/p>\n
He said nothing.<\/p>\n
My heart started pounding.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve been watching me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen how?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI had people making sure you were safe.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room tilted.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t explain this over the phone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve had three years.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cStop saying that!\u201d<\/p>\n
My voice rose.<\/p>\n
From the hallway, I heard Mia\u2019s footsteps.<\/p>\n
I lowered my voice immediately.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere are you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot somewhere safe.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you hurt?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you being held?\u201d<\/p>\n
A pause.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
That answer frightened me more.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why haven\u2019t you come home?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause if I had, you would have become a target.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI already am.\u201d<\/p>\n
He went silent.<\/p>\n
I looked toward the envelope we had carried from Mia\u2019s apartment.<\/p>\n
\u201cVictoria knows Leo exists.\u201d<\/p>\n
My father inhaled sharply.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe had someone follow us.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cElena.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe sent a photograph of him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cListen to me very carefully.\u201d<\/p>\n
His tone changed again.<\/p>\n
Urgent now.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou need to leave Chicago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy does everyone keep telling me that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTake your son and leave tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDad.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo not tell Dante where you\u2019re going.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at the city.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy are you afraid of Dante?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not afraid of him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen what?\u201d<\/p>\n
My father\u2019s next words came slowly.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Dante doesn\u2019t know what really happened three years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
My blood chilled.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
Before he could answer, a sound came through the phone.<\/p>\n
A door.<\/p>\n
Then another voice.<\/p>\n
Distant.<\/p>\n
I couldn\u2019t understand the words.<\/p>\n
My father whispered, \u201cI have to go.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cElena\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTell me where you are.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI love you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDad.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI always have.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t hang up.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cProtect Leo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDad!\u201d<\/p>\n
The line died.<\/p>\n
I stared at my phone.<\/p>\n
Mia entered the room.<\/p>\n
One look at my face stopped her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
I couldn\u2019t speak.<\/p>\n
\u201cElena?\u201d<\/p>\n
I held out the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy father called me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her face drained.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s alive.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mia sank onto the nearest chair.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh my God.\u201d<\/p>\n
I started pacing.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe knew about Switzerland.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe knew I was there. He had people watching me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mia frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWatching you how?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
She stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat I need to leave Chicago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s excellent advice.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe told me not to trust Dante.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mia went still.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is less excellent.\u201d<\/p>\n
I turned.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said Dante doesn\u2019t know what really happened three years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mia stared at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cThree years ago when?\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at her.<\/p>\n
We both knew.<\/p>\n
Around the wedding.<\/p>\n
Around my father\u2019s supposed death.<\/p>\n
Around my pregnancy.<\/p>\n
Around my disappearance.<\/p>\n
Everything in my life had fractured within the same few months.<\/p>\n
And until now, I had believed they were separate disasters.<\/p>\n
Maybe they weren\u2019t.<\/p>\n
A soft sound came from the hallway.<\/p>\n
Leo appeared dragging a blanket.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re loud.\u201d<\/p>\n
I wiped my face quickly.<\/p>\n
\u201cSorry, sweetheart.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWere you crying?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA little.\u201d<\/p>\n
He walked toward me.<\/p>\n
I bent down.<\/p>\n
He wrapped his arms around my neck.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t cry.\u201d<\/p>\n
My throat closed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll try.\u201d<\/p>\n
He pulled back.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you want Mr. Bear?\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr. Bear was a stuffed animal missing one ear.<\/p>\n
Leo considered him qualified to solve most emotional problems.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Leo handed him to me.<\/p>\n
Mia turned away, wiping her eyes.<\/p>\n
I pressed the bear to my chest.<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Leo nodded.<\/p>\n
Then he looked toward the door.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs my dad coming?\u201d<\/p>\n
The word landed differently now.<\/p>\n
My dad.<\/p>\n
Not Dante.<\/p>\n
Not that man.<\/p>\n
His dad.<\/p>\n
I sat with him on the sofa.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n
Leo looked disappointed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe has something important to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDinosaurs?\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite everything, I laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Leo sighed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen it\u2019s probably not that important.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mia burst out laughing.<\/p>\n
The room softened.<\/p>\n
And for one small moment, I remembered something I had forgotten since returning to Chicago.<\/p>\n
Fear was not the only thing we carried.<\/p>\n
We carried love.<\/p>\n
Humor.<\/p>\n
Home.<\/p>\n
Even here.<\/p>\n
Even now.<\/p>\n
I kissed Leo\u2019s forehead.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re right. Dinosaurs are very important.\u201d<\/p>\n
Satisfied, he climbed down and returned to the bedroom.<\/p>\n
Mia sat beside me.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou need to tell Dante.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy father specifically told me not to.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you trust your father?\u201d<\/p>\n
The question hurt.<\/p>\n
Three days ago, I would have said yes without thinking.<\/p>\n
Now?<\/p>\n
I looked toward the window.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mia squeezed my hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat might be the answer.\u201d<\/p>\n
***<\/p>\n
Dante arrived the next morning.<\/p>\n
Technically, he didn\u2019t enter.<\/p>\n
He stood outside the apartment with two paper bags.<\/p>\n
Mia opened the door.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s this?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBreakfast.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou own restaurants.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you brought bagels?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLeo said he likes them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mia stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen did Leo tell you that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the apartment yesterday.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe talked to you for six minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe mentioned breakfast.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mia looked inside one bag.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou remembered?\u201d<\/p>\n
Dante said nothing.<\/p>\n
Mia stepped aside.<\/p>\n
\u201cCome in.\u201d<\/p>\n
He didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n
\u201cElena said I wasn\u2019t allowed.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stood at the end of the hallway listening.<\/p>\n
Something inside me shifted.<\/p>\n
The old Dante would have entered.<\/p>\n
Would have argued.<\/p>\n
Would have decided he knew better.<\/p>\n
Instead he waited.<\/p>\n
I walked closer.<\/p>\n
His eyes found mine.<\/p>\n
He looked tired.<\/p>\n
No tie.<\/p>\n
Dark sweater beneath his coat.<\/p>\n
He held the bag of breakfast like it was a peace offering.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can come in.\u201d<\/p>\n
He stepped inside.<\/p>\n
Leo heard his voice from the bedroom.<\/p>\n
He came running.<\/p>\n
\u201cDad!\u201d<\/p>\n
Dante froze.<\/p>\n
I froze.<\/p>\n
Mia froze.<\/p>\n
Leo did not.<\/p>\n
He reached Dante and looked up.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you learn dinosaurs?\u201d<\/p>\n
Dante crouched.<\/p>\n
\u201cI did.\u201d<\/p>\n
Leo\u2019s eyes widened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTriceratops.\u201d<\/p>\n
Leo gasped.<\/p>\n
Dante continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cVelociraptor.\u201d<\/p>\n
Leo clapped.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Stegosaurus.\u201d<\/p>\n
Leo stared at him with pure astonishment.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou studied.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
Dante\u2019s eyes softened.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause you said I should.\u201d<\/p>\n
Leo nodded seriously.<\/p>\n
\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n
He grabbed Dante\u2019s hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cCome see my book.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dante looked at me.<\/p>\n
I nodded.<\/p>\n
He let Leo pull him toward the couch.<\/p>\n
For twenty minutes, I watched the most feared man in Chicago receive a detailed lecture about dinosaurs from a child who still confused yesterday and tomorrow.<\/p>\n
Dante listened like every word mattered.<\/p>\n
Maybe it did.<\/p>\n
Leo showed him Tyrannosaurus rex.<\/p>\n
Dante asked a question.<\/p>\n
Leo corrected him.<\/p>\n
Dante accepted the correction.<\/p>\n
At one point Leo leaned against his arm without thinking.<\/p>\n
Dante stopped moving.<\/p>\n
I saw him look down.<\/p>\n
Then close his eyes for half a second.<\/p>\n
When he opened them again, he continued listening.<\/p>\n
I turned toward the kitchen.<\/p>\n
Mia followed.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou okay?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUnderstandable.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe called him Dad.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI noticed.\u201d<\/p>\n
I opened the refrigerator.<\/p>\n
There was nothing inside except sparkling water and mustard.<\/p>\n
I stared at it.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis man owns half of Chicago and has no food.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mia smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe organized crime doesn\u2019t require groceries.\u201d<\/p>\n
I glanced toward the living room.<\/p>\n
Dante was now holding a plastic dinosaur.<\/p>\n
Leo was explaining something involving meteors.<\/p>\n
My chest tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought this would be harder.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mia leaned against the counter.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSeeing them together.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is.\u201d<\/p>\n
She gave me a confused look.<\/p>\n
I shook my head.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust not in the way I expected.\u201d<\/p>\n
Before she could answer, Dante\u2019s phone rang.<\/p>\n
His expression changed when he checked the screen.<\/p>\n
He stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cI need to take this.\u201d<\/p>\n
I followed him onto the balcony.<\/p>\n
The morning air was sharp.<\/p>\n
He answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n
He listened.<\/p>\n
His face became completely still.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
Another pause.<\/p>\n
\u201cSend it.\u201d<\/p>\n
He hung up.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
Dante looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe found your father\u2019s doctor.\u201d<\/p>\n
My pulse jumped.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe one who disappeared?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWisconsin.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCan we talk to him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe died last month.\u201d<\/p>\n
My hope collapsed.<\/p>\n
Dante continued quickly.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut before he died, he left a sealed file with an attorney.\u201d<\/p>\n
I gripped the railing.<\/p>\n
\u201cA file about my father?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe think so.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen can we get it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI already have someone going.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
His eyebrows lifted.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re going.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cElena.\u201d<\/p>\n
I pointed at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe discussed this.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI remember.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why are you arguing?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re making the face.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat face?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe face you make before telling me something is too dangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n
For half a second, he almost smiled.<\/p>\n
Then it disappeared.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe attorney requested identification from a family member.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo you need me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cDante.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLeo stays here.\u201d<\/p>\n
My anger cooled slightly.<\/p>\n
That, at least, made sense.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith Mia.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked through the glass doors.<\/p>\n
Leo had lined up dinosaurs along the sofa.<\/p>\n
Mia was pretending not to rearrange them.<\/p>\n
\u201cFine.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dante nodded.<\/p>\n
I studied him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re staring.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m wondering when you learned to compromise.\u201d<\/p>\n
His mouth curved faintly.<\/p>\n
\u201cApproximately yesterday.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite myself, I smiled.<\/p>\n
It disappeared quickly.<\/p>\n
But he saw it.<\/p>\n
His expression changed.<\/p>\n
Too much history moved between us.<\/p>\n
I looked away.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe leave in ten minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n
***<\/p>\n
The drive north took almost two hours.<\/p>\n
For the first thirty minutes, Dante and I barely spoke.<\/p>\n
Chicago disappeared behind us.<\/p>\n
Buildings gave way to open highway.<\/p>\n
Gray sky.<\/p>\n
Autumn trees.<\/p>\n
I watched the landscape through the window.<\/p>\n
Dante drove himself.<\/p>\n
No driver.<\/p>\n
No guards visible.<\/p>\n
But I knew better.<\/p>\n
There were probably cars somewhere behind us.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou used to hate long drives,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
He glanced at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cI still do.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou always complained after twenty minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou used to sing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI do not sing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou absolutely sing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI hum.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou sang an entire Fleetwood Mac album from Milwaukee to Chicago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat never happened.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou got three songs wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n
I turned toward him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou said you didn\u2019t listen.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t say I didn\u2019t remember.\u201d<\/p>\n
The air changed.<\/p>\n
Again.<\/p>\n
I hated how easily pieces of us survived.<\/p>\n
Eight years couldn\u2019t be erased just because the ending hurt.<\/p>\n
I looked out the window.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy didn\u2019t you tell me?\u201d<\/p>\n
Dante\u2019s hands tightened around the steering wheel.<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout Victoria?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
He was silent for so long I thought he might refuse.<\/p>\n
Then he said, \u201cBecause your father asked me not to.\u201d<\/p>\n
I turned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
Dante kept his eyes on the road.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe debt was real.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy father admitted it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTwo months before the wedding.\u201d<\/p>\n
My blood went cold.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou spoke to him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd he asked you to marry Victoria?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dante swallowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe asked me to keep you out of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe believed Victoria had discovered documents that could implicate him in financial crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid she?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared ahead.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo you made the arrangement.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd my father knew?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
The betrayal hit from another direction.<\/p>\n
I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy father watched me beg you for answers.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cElena.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe knew why you couldn\u2019t marry me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd he let me believe you didn\u2019t choose me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dante\u2019s voice lowered.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe thought it would be temporary.\u201d<\/p>\n
I laughed bitterly.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone thought everything would be temporary except me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cStop saying that.\u201d<\/p>\n
He nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay.\u201d<\/p>\n
We drove another mile.<\/p>\n
Then he said, \u201cI was wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n
I frowned.<\/p>\n
Dante stared at the road.<\/p>\n
\u201cI believed protecting you meant making decisions without you.\u201d<\/p>\n
His jaw tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy father raised me to believe information was danger. The less someone knew, the safer they were.\u201d<\/p>\n
I said nothing.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought love meant carrying everything alone.\u201d<\/p>\n
His voice became quieter.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought if you hated me, at least you would be alive.\u201d<\/p>\n
My anger softened despite myself.<\/p>\n
Not forgiveness.<\/p>\n
Not yet.<\/p>\n
But understanding.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you ever plan to leave Victoria?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe moment the debt was settled and the records were destroyed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd were they?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYour father died.\u201d<\/p>\n
The words settled heavily.<\/p>\n
Except now we knew he hadn\u2019t.<\/p>\n
Dante glanced at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter his funeral, everything changed. Victoria stopped negotiating. She began moving assets.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUsing your name?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you stop her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI tried.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re Dante Moretti.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was married to her.\u201d<\/p>\n
His tone was dry.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was very creative about what she could access legally.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite myself, I almost laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat sounds like Victoria.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
For the first time, we were speaking about my sister as we used to.<\/p>\n
Before betrayal made her name poisonous.<\/p>\n
Before she became Dante\u2019s wife.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe always wanted what someone else had,\u201d I murmured.<\/p>\n
Dante\u2019s gaze flickered toward me.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think she wanted me.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s a very comforting thing to tell the woman you refused to marry.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI mean it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo do I.\u201d<\/p>\n
He sighed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think Victoria wanted what marrying me represented.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPower.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cProtection.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAccess.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
I turned toward the window.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd taking you from me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dante said nothing.<\/p>\n
That silence confirmed enough.<\/p>\n
The attorney\u2019s office sat above a small pharmacy in a town I had never visited.<\/p>\n
The building smelled like old paper and coffee.<\/p>\n
An elderly receptionist greeted us.<\/p>\n
When I gave my name, she stopped smiling.<\/p>\n
\u201cMs. Carter?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked at Dante.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you are?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDante Moretti.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her expression changed again.<\/p>\n
Recognition.<\/p>\n
Concern.<\/p>\n
She stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cMr. Hale left instructions.\u201d<\/p>\n
My pulse quickened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat instructions?\u201d<\/p>\n
She retrieved a sealed envelope from a locked cabinet.<\/p>\n
My name was written across the front.<\/p>\n
Not typed.<\/p>\n
Written.<\/p>\n
I recognized the handwriting immediately.<\/p>\n
My father\u2019s.<\/p>\n
My knees weakened.<\/p>\n
Dante reached for my elbow.<\/p>\n
I pulled away automatically.<\/p>\n
Not because I didn\u2019t need him.<\/p>\n
Because needing him still frightened me.<\/p>\n
The receptionist led us into a conference room.<\/p>\n
\u201cMr. Hale was instructed to release this only if Elena Carter came in person.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen were the instructions given?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
She checked the paperwork.<\/p>\n
\u201cThree years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at her.<\/p>\n
Dante went completely still.<\/p>\n
My father had prepared this file three years ago.<\/p>\n
Before I left?<\/p>\n
After?<\/p>\n
Before his supposed death?<\/p>\n
My hands shook as I opened the envelope.<\/p>\n
Inside were three things.<\/p>\n
A letter.<\/p>\n
A key.<\/p>\n
And a photograph.<\/p>\n
I reached for the photograph first.<\/p>\n
It showed my father standing outside a house.<\/p>\n
The date stamp was from two years ago.<\/p>\n
Proof.<\/p>\n
Undeniable proof.<\/p>\n
He had been alive.<\/p>\n
Then I noticed the person beside him.<\/p>\n
My breath stopped.<\/p>\n
It was Dante\u2019s mother.<\/p>\n
Sophia Moretti.<\/p>\n
She had supposedly died when Dante was seventeen.<\/p>\n
I slowly lifted my eyes.<\/p>\n
Dante looked at the photograph.<\/p>\n
All color disappeared from his face.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
I turned the photograph around.<\/p>\n
\u201cDante.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
His voice barely existed.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mother is dead.\u201d<\/p>\n
I remembered saying those exact words about my father.<\/p>\n
I looked at the woman in the photograph.<\/p>\n
Older than the pictures I had seen.<\/p>\n
But unmistakable.<\/p>\n
Sophia Moretti.<\/p>\n
Alive.<\/p>\n
Standing beside my supposedly dead father.<\/p>\n
Dante took the photograph with trembling fingers.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis isn\u2019t possible.\u201d<\/p>\n
The attorney\u2019s receptionist remained near the door.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked at her sharply.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere was this taken?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
I unfolded the letter.<\/p>\n
My father\u2019s handwriting filled the page.<\/p>\n
Elena,<\/p>\n
If you are reading this, then something has gone wrong.<\/p>\n
I swallowed.<\/p>\n
Dante leaned closer.<\/p>\n
I continued.<\/p>\n
I cannot explain everything in writing because there are people who have spent decades protecting a secret neither the Carter nor Moretti families were ever meant to uncover.<\/p>\n
My eyes moved faster.<\/p>\n
Your mother knew part of the truth.<\/p>\n
So did Sophia Moretti.<\/p>\n
I stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mother?\u201d<\/p>\n
Dante looked at me.<\/p>\n
I had barely spoken about my mother in years.<\/p>\n
She died when I was seven.<\/p>\n
A car accident.<\/p>\n
At least that was what I had always been told.<\/p>\n
I kept reading.<\/p>\n
The debt was never the real reason Victoria married Dante.<\/p>\n
The marriage was designed to place her inside the Moretti family because someone believed Sophia had left evidence hidden within it.<\/p>\n
I looked at Dante.<\/p>\n
His expression had become unreadable.<\/p>\n
The letter continued.<\/p>\n
Victoria knows more than she admits, but she is not the person you should fear most.<\/p>\n
My fingers trembled.<\/p>\n
If Dante is beside you when you read this, tell him I am sorry.<\/p>\n
For his mother.<\/p>\n
For the lie.<\/p>\n
And for what I asked him to sacrifice.<\/p>\n
Dante looked away.<\/p>\n
I reached the final paragraph.<\/p>\n
There is one thing you must understand before you open what the key unlocks.<\/p>\n
The Carter and Moretti families did not become connected when Dante married Victoria.<\/p>\n
They were connected long before either of you were born.<\/p>\n
A chill moved through me.<\/p>\n
Dante leaned over my shoulder.<\/p>\n
The last line was underlined.<\/p>\n
**Ask Dante who his biological father was.**<\/p>\n
I stopped breathing.<\/p>\n
Dante stepped backward.<\/p>\n
The chair behind him scraped across the floor.<\/p>\n
I turned slowly.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
He stared at the letter.<\/p>\n
\u201cElena.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou told me your father was Alessandro Moretti.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWas he your biological father?\u201d<\/p>\n
Dante\u2019s silence became deafening.<\/p>\n
I stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew?\u201d<\/p>\n
His face was pale.<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew there were rumors.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat rumors?\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked toward the photograph of Sophia and my father.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mother told me once that Alessandro wasn\u2019t my father.\u201d<\/p>\n
My heart hammered.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe night before she died.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room seemed to shrink.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat else did she tell you?\u201d<\/p>\n
Dante looked at me.<\/p>\n
For the first time since I had known him, I saw something close to fear in his eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe told me my real father was someone I already knew.\u201d<\/p>\n
The key lay between us on the table.<\/p>\n
Small.<\/p>\n
Brass.<\/p>\n
Ordinary.<\/p>\n
It had a number stamped into one side.<\/p>\n
**214.**<\/p>\n
The receptionist cleared her throat.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is something else.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dante and I both turned.<\/p>\n
She hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cMr. Hale left a second instruction.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
She looked directly at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf Ms. Carter arrived with Dante Moretti, I was supposed to give you this.\u201d<\/p>\n
She opened another drawer.<\/p>\n
Inside was a small flash drive.<\/p>\n
My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s on it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
There was an old laptop in the corner of the conference room.<\/p>\n
Dante inserted the drive.<\/p>\n
One file appeared.<\/p>\n
A video.<\/p>\n
No title.<\/p>\n
No date.<\/p>\n
He looked at me.<\/p>\n
I nodded.<\/p>\n
He pressed play.<\/p>\n
The screen went black.<\/p>\n
Then a woman appeared.<\/p>\n
Older.<\/p>\n
Thin.<\/p>\n
Gray streaking through dark hair.<\/p>\n
But Dante knew her immediately.<\/p>\n
His hand flew to his mouth.<\/p>\n
\u201cMom.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sophia Moretti looked directly into the camera.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf Dante is watching this, then Elena Carter has found the file.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dante gripped the edge of the table.<\/p>\n
Sophia took a breath.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are truths our families buried because they believed silence would protect their children.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her eyes filled with sadness.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey were wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stepped closer to the screen.<\/p>\n
Sophia continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cDante, everything you were told about my death was a lie.\u201d<\/p>\n
His eyes closed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI left because staying would have put you in danger.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her voice trembled.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Elena, if you are there, your father made the same choice.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tears burned my eyes.<\/p>\n
Two parents.<\/p>\n
Two fake deaths.<\/p>\n
Two children left believing they had been abandoned by fate.<\/p>\n
Sophia looked down briefly.<\/p>\n
When she raised her eyes again, her expression changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cVictoria discovered part of the truth before either of you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dante leaned closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut she misunderstood what she found.\u201d<\/p>\n
My pulse quickened.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe secret was never about money.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sophia paused.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was about a child.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dante and I exchanged a glance.<\/p>\n
She continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cA child born more than thirty years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach dropped.<\/p>\n
Dante whispered, \u201cMe?\u201d<\/p>\n
Sophia\u2019s face on the screen seemed to answer him.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Carter family and the Moretti family share more than business history.\u201d<\/p>\n
The video flickered.<\/p>\n
Static filled the screen.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d Dante muttered.<\/p>\n
The image returned.<\/p>\n
Sophia was speaking, but the audio cut in and out.<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2014biological father\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
Static.<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2014Carter\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
My blood froze.<\/p>\n
Dante stared at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did she say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
The audio returned.<\/p>\n
Sophia leaned closer to the camera.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf Elena\u2019s father has not told her by now, then he is still trying to protect her.\u201d<\/p>\n
The screen flickered again.<\/p>\n
Then her final sentence came through clearly.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe key opens box 214 at Union Station.\u201d<\/p>\n
The video ended.<\/p>\n
Neither of us moved.<\/p>\n
For several seconds, there was no sound.<\/p>\n
Then Dante\u2019s phone rang.<\/p>\n
He looked at the screen.<\/p>\n
Mia.<\/p>\n
He answered immediately.<\/p>\n
\u201cMia?\u201d<\/p>\n
I watched his face change.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
My heart stopped.<\/p>\n
I grabbed the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cMia?\u201d<\/p>\n
Her voice shook.<\/p>\n
\u201cElena, we\u2019re okay.\u201d<\/p>\n
I nearly collapsed with relief.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSomeone came to the building.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cVictoria?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere\u2019s Leo?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWith me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPut him on.\u201d<\/p>\n
There was movement.<\/p>\n
Then Leo\u2019s voice.<\/p>\n
\u201cMommy?\u201d<\/p>\n
I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cHi, baby.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you coming back?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSoon?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cVery soon.\u201d<\/p>\n
He whispered, \u201cDad too?\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Dante.<\/p>\n
He was watching me.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
Dante\u2019s eyes softened.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, he\u2019s coming too.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mia returned to the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cElena.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou need to see what they left.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA package.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t open it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI already did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMia.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know. Terrible decision. But listen.\u201d<\/p>\n
She inhaled.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a newspaper clipping inside.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA birth announcement.\u201d<\/p>\n
I frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhose?\u201d<\/p>\n
Mia went silent.<\/p>\n
\u201cMia?\u201d<\/p>\n
Her voice dropped.<\/p>\n
\u201cDante\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dante moved closer.<\/p>\n
I put the call on speaker.<\/p>\n
Mia continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s from thirty-eight years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dante looked confused.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does it say?\u201d<\/p>\n
Mia swallowed audibly.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt lists Sophia Moretti as the mother.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dante nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the problem.\u201d<\/p>\n
My hand tightened around the phone.<\/p>\n
Mia\u2019s next words changed the room.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt doesn\u2019t list Alessandro Moretti as Dante\u2019s father.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dante stopped breathing.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho does it list?\u201d I whispered.<\/p>\n
Another long silence.<\/p>\n
Then Mia said:<\/p>\n
\u201cThomas Carter.\u201d<\/p>\n
My father.<\/p>\n
The world disappeared beneath me.<\/p>\n
Dante stared at me.<\/p>\n
I stared at him.<\/p>\n
Neither of us could speak.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d I whispered.<\/p>\n
Dante shook his head.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s impossible.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mia\u2019s voice came through the speaker.<\/p>\n
\u201cElena, there\u2019s something written on the back.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBy Victoria.\u201d<\/p>\n
I gripped the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cRead it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mia hesitated.<\/p>\n
Then she did.<\/p>\n
**Now you understand why your father wanted you to leave Dante.**<\/p>\n
Dante went completely still.<\/p>\n
But Mia wasn\u2019t finished.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s one more line.\u201d<\/p>\n
My mouth went dry.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does it say?\u201d<\/p>\n
Mia inhaled.<\/p>\n
Then whispered:<\/p>\n
**And why Elena Carter was never supposed to fall in love with him.**<\/p>\n
The phone nearly slipped from my hand.<\/p>\n
Dante looked at me with horror.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
I couldn\u2019t breathe.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
The photograph.<\/p>\n
The hidden parents.<\/p>\n
The fake deaths.<\/p>\n
My father\u2019s warning.<\/p>\n
The key marked 214.<\/p>\n
The video.<\/p>\n
All of it collided at once.<\/p>\n
Then my phone vibrated.<\/p>\n
A new message appeared.<\/p>\n
From the same unknown number my father had used the night before.<\/p>\n
I opened it.<\/p>\n
There were only seven words.<\/p>\n
**Do not believe the birth announcement. Come alone.**<\/p>\n
Below it was an address.<\/p>\n
Dante read the message over my shoulder.<\/p>\n
His eyes lifted to mine.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s twenty minutes from Union Station.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at the key on the table.<\/p>\n
Box 214.<\/p>\n
Then at the address.<\/p>\n
My father.<\/p>\n
Two truths waiting in two different places.<\/p>\n
And somewhere between them was the answer to a question that could destroy everything Dante and I thought we knew about each other.<\/p>\n
My phone vibrated again.<\/p>\n
Another message.<\/p>\n
This time, there was a photograph attached.<\/p>\n
I opened it.<\/p>\n
My knees weakened.<\/p>\n
The picture had been taken less than a minute ago.<\/p>\n
It showed Leo sitting safely beside Mia.<\/p>\n
And standing behind them, smiling directly at the camera, was Victoria.<\/p>\n
Underneath the photo were six words.<\/p>\n
**Bring Dante. It\u2019s time he learns.**<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
For several seconds, I could hear nothing except the soft hum of Mia\u2019s refrigerator. Not Leo breathing against my shoulder. Not the traffic beyond the … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17417,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,9,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19205","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-family","category-inspiration","category-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailystoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19205","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailystoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailystoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailystoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailystoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=19205"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dailystoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19205\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19206,"href":"https:\/\/dailystoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19205\/revisions\/19206"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailystoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/17417"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailystoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=19205"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailystoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=19205"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailystoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=19205"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}