Chapter 3
Eleanor Price did not work for Helena anymore.
That made her willing to talk.
Matteo’s outside attorney contacted her first, making it clear that nobody was asking her to violate professional rules or hand over confidential records improperly.
Eleanor agreed to describe the general purpose for which she had been retained.
She had been told the Bellini family was preparing a young child for a possible prolonged separation from her father.
“Who hired you?” Matteo asked during the meeting.
“Mrs. Bellini.”
“Helena.”
“Yes.”
“What explanation did she give?”
“That your legal situation was unstable.”
Matteo’s attorney looked at him.
Matteo did not react.
Eleanor continued.
Helena had asked for age-appropriate ways to help Ava adjust to another male caregiver if Matteo became unavailable.
Eleanor originally assumed Matteo knew.
Then Helena began asking strange questions.
Could a three-year-old form a parental attachment to a second father figure?
Would consistently using the word “Daddy” make transition easier?
Could familiarity reduce distress during a custody change?
Eleanor told Helena she would not coach a child to replace a living parent.
She terminated the engagement.
“When?” Matteo asked.
“Six weeks ago.”
That explained why Helena had started handling the rehearsals herself.
“Was Dominic present?”
“Twice.”
“What did he say?”
“Very little.”
“Did he object?”
Eleanor thought about it.
“Once.”
Matteo looked up.
“What did he say?”
“He told Helena, ‘This is getting too real.’”
That sentence stayed with Matteo.
Too real.
Not wrong.
Not unnecessary.
Too real.
Dominic had understood there was an actual plan behind the rehearsals.
Matteo returned to the estate and found Ava having lunch.
He did not question her.
He had already arranged for a licensed child therapist to guide any conversations from that point forward.
He had spent enough years around men who believed pressure produced truth.
He would not use those habits on his daughter.
That afternoon, the therapist asked Ava simple questions about routines.
Who picked her up?
Who took care of her?
Who did Grandma say would take care of her if Daddy went away?
Ava answered:
“Uncle Dominic.”
Then she corrected herself immediately.
“Daddy Dominic.”
The therapist did not react.
Neither did Matteo, who heard about it later.
But something else bothered him.
Helena had not merely told Ava that Dominic would take care of her.
She had created a specific name.
Daddy Dominic.
May you like
That was not emergency planning.
It was replacement.
