Chapter 4 - THE HOUSE WITHOUT PHOTOGRAPHS
Emily visited the Romano estate the following Saturday.
She had agreed to spend two hours with Luca while Maria remained nearby.
Vincent had made it clear she could leave whenever she wished.
The house was enormous.
Stone columns.
Marble floors.
Tall windows.
But something felt wrong.
Emily noticed it immediately.
There were no family photographs.
No drawings on the refrigerator.
No toys in the living room.
Luca's bedroom was beautiful.
Expensive furniture.
Perfectly arranged shelves.
A collection of untouched toys.
But it didn't feel like a child's room.
Emily sat on the floor.
Luca watched from the bed.
She opened a bag.
Inside were crayons.
Paper.
A small stuffed dinosaur.
And a box of washable markers.
“Okay,” she said. “Today we're building a dragon kingdom.”
Luca looked interested.
They spent an hour drawing.
Then Emily noticed a small photograph tucked beneath Luca's pillow.
She didn't touch it.
But Luca pulled it out.
He held it toward her.
The photograph showed a smiling woman with dark hair.
She was holding Luca at the beach.
Emily looked at it.
“She's beautiful.”
Luca stared.
Emily smiled gently.
“Is that your mom?”
He nodded.
She waited.
Luca touched the woman's face.
Then looked down.
Emily's throat tightened.
She didn't tell him not to be sad.
Didn't promise everything would be okay.
She simply sat beside him.
After a while, Luca placed the photograph between them.
Emily took a crayon.
“Would you like to draw something for her?”
Luca looked up.
Then nodded.
They drew a beach.
A sun.
A small green dragon flying over the water.
When Vincent entered later, he stopped in the doorway.
Luca was sitting on the floor.
The photograph lay beside him.
And Emily was helping him draw.
Vincent's face changed.
“Where did you get that?”
Emily looked up.
“Luca showed me.”
Vincent stared at the photograph.
Catherine.
His wife.
Smiling.
Alive.
He turned away.
Emily noticed.
She stood.
“Mr. Romano?”
He shook his head.
“I need a minute.”
He left.
Emily looked toward Luca.
The boy's face had gone still.
She sat beside him again.
“Your dad misses her too.”
Luca looked at her.
Then slowly placed his hand over the photograph.
Downstairs, Vincent stood alone in the hallway.
May you like
He had removed every photograph because seeing Catherine hurt.
He had never considered what their absence might be doing to Luca.
