Chapter 1
Lorenzo did not question Adrian first.
He went to Mia.
His daughter stood beneath her mother’s portrait with one hand pressed against her reddened cheek.
The other still held half of the torn drawing.
Lorenzo crouched until they were eye level.
His breathing was controlled.
Too controlled.
“Mia.”
Her wet eyes lifted.
“Look at me.”
She did.
His hand moved toward her cheek, then stopped before touching the sore skin.
“Does it hurt?”
Mia nodded.
Lorenzo’s jaw tightened.
Behind him, Bianca straightened beside the overturned weaving cart.
Her pearls were crooked.
Her pride was not.
“She’s confused,” Bianca said.
Lorenzo did not turn.
Mia’s fingers closed harder around the paper.
Bianca continued.
“She was four. Children invent things after trauma.”
Mia’s lower lip trembled.
Lorenzo saw it.
He reached for the other half of the drawing lying near a ribbon spool and carefully fitted the pieces together.
A gray car.
A broken guardrail.
Her mother’s red coat.
Two dark figures outside the wreck.
One had a square body and a black watch.
The other wore a long black shape with white dots around the neck.
Lorenzo stared.
Bianca’s pearl necklace.
He looked at Mia.
“Who’s the second person?”
Bianca’s breath caught.
Only once.
Mia looked toward her aunt.
Then immediately looked away.
Lorenzo noticed.
“You’re safe.”
Mia whispered something.
“What?”
Her fingers slid into his sleeve.
“Aunt Bianca.”
The gallery became silent.
Bianca’s face hardened.
“That proves nothing.”
Mia flinched at her voice.
Lorenzo rose slowly.
“Lower your voice.”
Bianca stared at him.
For years she had spoken to him as an older sister first and a family member second.
That privilege suddenly looked fragile.
Mia tugged Lorenzo’s sleeve again.
“There’s more.”
He looked down.
She rubbed her thumb across the torn edge.
“When Mommy’s car was broken…”
Her breathing became shallow.
Lorenzo waited.
Mia closed her eyes.
“Mommy was making noises.”
Bianca went still.
Adrian’s gaze snapped toward her.
Mia continued.
“Aunt Bianca told Uncle Adrian to get Mommy’s phone.”
Lorenzo’s expression emptied.
Mia opened her eyes.
“She said Daddy could come after.”
No one moved.
Lorenzo slowly looked toward Bianca.
The crash report said Bianca called emergency services immediately after discovering the wreck.
Mia had just remembered something completely different.
May you like
Bianca had reached the car while Elena was still alive—
and before calling Lorenzo, before calling an ambulance, she had apparently ordered Adrian to find Elena’s phone.
