Chapter 12 - THE MAN WHO LEARNED TO WAIT
Dante continued visiting Isabella.
Every visit was scheduled.
Every boundary respected.
He learned how to change diapers.
How to warm bottles.
How to soothe her when she cried.
And how to sit quietly while she slept.
At first, he was awkward.
The man who had once commanded hundreds of people couldn't figure out how to fasten a baby carrier.
I watched him struggle.
"Need help?"
He looked up.
"Please."
I smiled faintly.
That single word still surprised me.
One afternoon, Isabella fell asleep against his chest.
Dante sat on the couch.
He looked at me.
"Elena."
"Yes?"
"Can I ask you something?"
I nodded.
"Do you hate me?"
I stared.
Then looked toward the window.
"No."
His eyes filled.
"But I don't trust you the way I used to."
He nodded.
"I know."
"And I don't know if I ever will."
He looked down at Isabella.
"I understand."
I studied him.
For years, Dante had treated uncertainty as something to eliminate.
Now he sat quietly with it.
And for the first time, I believed he might actually be changing.
May you like
Not because he wanted me back.
But because he was learning to become someone better.
