Chapter 5
Sofia’s letter was short.
Katherine,
If Roman dies, do not turn our daughter into the family’s next project.
My throat tightened.
Then:
If I die first, help him raise her. Do not replace him.
There.
Exactly what Katherine had done.
Help became authority.
Support became position.
Sofia continued:
Clara should know the family without owing herself to it.
I read that twice.
Katherine stood across from me.
“You kept this.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because Sofia was frightened.”
“That does not answer me.”
She finally looked up.
“Because I thought she was wrong.”
There.
Not misunderstanding.
Override.
Katherine believed Sofia underestimated the cost of raising a D’Angelo child without structured preparation.
Maybe she did.
Still her daughter.
Still my daughter.
Then the final line:
Roman loves this family enough that he may not notice when it starts loving Clara like property.
I stopped.
My dead wife had known me too well.
I looked around at the Christmas gallery.
Family photographs.
Silver serving boards.
Grandfather clock tilted from the fight.
Everything inherited.
May you like
Everything carrying expectation.
Maybe Katherine was not the only one Sofia had been warning about.
