Chapter 3 - THE HOUSE WITH NO FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHS
Clare did not agree to move into Dante's home immediately.
She contacted her cousin first.
Sofia answered on the fourth attempt.
Her voice sounded strained.
"Clare, I'm so sorry."
"What happened?"
"My landlord found out I was planning to let you stay."
"So?"
"He says I can't have additional residents."
Clare closed her eyes.
"Did Richard contact you?"
Silence.
"Sofia?"
"He called yesterday."
Clare's stomach dropped.
"What did you tell him?"
"Nothing important."
"What does that mean?"
"I told him you were coming to Rome. I thought he already knew."
Clare nearly dropped the phone.
Sofia began crying.
"I'm sorry."
Clare ended the call gently.
She couldn't afford to be angry.
Not yet.
She had a child to protect.
Dante arranged a short-term stay at a private guesthouse with professional security and connected Clare with an Italian attorney experienced in international family disputes.
He made one condition.
"Everything must be legal."
Clare stared at him.
"That's an unusual condition coming from you."
He raised an eyebrow.
"You know who I am?"
"I know enough."
"Then you know why I need to be careful."
Clare looked at Maya.
"Good. Because I don't want my daughter growing up around violence."
Dante's expression changed.
"Neither do I."
Over the next several days, Clare focused on Maya's recovery and the legal steps necessary to protect her from Richard.
Dante contacted a pediatric audiology team for Leonardo.
He didn't tell Clare until the appointment was scheduled.
Then he called.
"Would you come?"
Clare hesitated.
"Why?"
"Because you noticed something."
"I'm not an audiologist."
"I know."
"Then why do you need me?"
Dante was silent.
Finally, he said, "Because I trust you to tell me when I'm not listening."
Clare didn't know what to say.
The appointment took place at a specialized children's hospital.
The audiologist performed a series of assessments, reviewed Leonardo's previous records, and explained that his hearing loss was real.
Clare felt embarrassed.
Perhaps she'd misunderstood the baby's reactions.
But the physician continued.
"There is another issue."
Dante leaned forward.
"What issue?"
"Leonardo has significant fluid buildup in his middle ears. It may be contributing an additional conductive component to his hearing loss."
"Can you treat it?"
"We can evaluate treatment options. But I want to be clear: treating the fluid will not necessarily restore normal hearing."
Dante nodded.
He listened carefully.
For once, he didn't demand certainty where none existed.
The physician recommended further testing and early intervention, including visual communication and sign language.
Clare watched Dante absorb the information.
He looked devastated.
Then determined.
"What should I learn first?" he asked.
The audiologist smiled.
"How to communicate with your son in the ways he can access now."
That evening, Dante invited Clare and Maya to dinner at his family villa outside Rome.
Clare almost declined.
Then Maya heard there would be a garden.
"Flowers, Mama?"
Clare smiled.
"Maybe."
They arrived just before sunset.
The villa was enormous.
Stone terraces.
Olive trees.
A fountain surrounded by white roses.
But inside, something felt wrong.
The house was beautiful.
And strangely empty.
There were no family photographs.
No toys in the sitting room.
No pictures of Leonardo's mother.
Clare noticed immediately.
Dante followed her gaze.
"I had them removed."
"Why?"
He looked toward the staircase.
"Because I couldn't bear seeing her everywhere."
Clare said nothing.
Later, while Maya played in the garden, Clare found Dante standing in a hallway.
He held a framed photograph.
A beautiful dark-haired woman smiled beside him.
Alessia.
"She was twenty-nine," he said.
Clare approached quietly.
"I'm sorry."
Dante looked at the photograph.
"Everyone tells me time makes grief easier."
"Does it?"
"No."
Clare stood beside him.
"Maybe it doesn't become easier. Maybe we learn how to carry it differently."
He looked at her.
For the first time, Dante Salvatore didn't seem like a mafia boss.
He seemed like a widower who didn't know how to begin living again.
Then Marco appeared at the end of the hallway.
"Boss."
Dante turned.
"What?"
Marco hesitated.
"We have a problem."
He handed Dante a photograph.
It showed Clare and Maya leaving the airport.
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On the back, someone had written:
SHE CAN'T HIDE BEHIND YOU FOREVER.
