“You think my cousin killed my wife.”

“I think your daughter thinks something. And instead of treating her like a problem, maybe someone should ask why.”

Dominic turned away.

For a moment, Grace thought he would block her out.

Instead, he gripped the edge of the marble counter until his knuckles went white.

“The official report said a rival family planted a device in Elena’s car. I found the men responsible.”

“And?”

“They confessed.”

Grace heard the unspoken truth.

“Before or after you hurt them?”

His silence provided the answer.

A confession obtained through agony could be anything.

Dominic’s voice dropped. “Victor was with me that night. At the hospital. He pulled me away from the burning car. He kept me from running back into the flames.”

“Maybe he saved you.”

Dominic looked at her.

Grace didn’t blink.

“Or maybe he made sure you didn’t hear what Elena was trying to say.”

The truth, once articulated, transformed the room.

Dominic did not accept it.

Not immediately.

But he did not dismiss it either.

The following week, Sophie had her first successful day.

A completely good day.

No screaming. No hiding. No shattered decor. She finished a literacy lesson, assisted Mrs. Donnelly with muffins, and laughed so hard during a card game that juice sprayed from her nose.

Dominic witnessed it.

He had arrived home early, planning to make calls before dinner, and paused in the entrance of the sitting room.

Sophie was on the carpet with Grace, surrounded by playing cards.

“You cheated!” Sophie yelled, giggling.

Grace gasped. “I did not cheat. I strategically misunderstood the rules.”

“That’s cheating!”

“That is law school language.”

Sophie fell back in fits of laughter.

Dominic stood there, quiet.

When Sophie noticed his presence, the laughter evaporated.

Old reflex.

Fear of failing him.

Dominic saw it and winced.

Grace did not intervene. Some gaps had to be closed by the one who opened them.

Dominic cleared his throat. “Can I play?”

Sophie looked dubious. “Do you know how?”

“No.”

“Then you’ll lose.”

His mouth quirked. “I survive many humiliations.”

Grace dealt him in.

He lost five matches.

Badly.

Sophie laughed once more.

The second time, she did not cease when she realized her father was watching.

That night, after Sophie was tucked in, Dominic found Grace in the rear garden.

The property was quieter there. Less marble. More air. The metropolitan lights shimmered beyond the treeline.

“She’s different with you,” he remarked.

“She’s becoming herself.”

“I don’t remember how to be around that version of her.”

Grace looked at him. “Then introduce yourself.”

He exhaled deeply. “You make things sound simple.”

“They’re not simple. They’re just necessary.”

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