“I heard him speaking to someone three nights ago. He said the wedding had to happen before Eleanor met Serena.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked.
His gaze met mine.
“Because until this morning, I intended to go through with it.”
The answer was ugly.
It was also real.
I pressed my hand against my forehead.
Every truth seemed to reveal another locked door.
“What happens to Miles now?”
My father’s silence returned.
That silence had controlled me for years.
It had made me imagine the worst and obey before anyone needed to make a direct demand.
This time, I did not let it.
“What happens to Miles?” I repeated.
Dante answered.
“His treatment continues.”
Julian looked at him sharply.
Dante kept his attention on me.
“The hospital received a private guarantee this morning. Six months of care, independent of the Crowes or your father.”
I stared at him.
“From you?”
“From a foundation.”
“Your foundation?”
“One I manage.”
My first instinct was relief.
My second was suspicion.
“What do you want in return?”
“Nothing.”
“No one does something like that for nothing.”
“Sometimes they do.”
“Why?”
For the first time, his composure slipped.
Not dramatically.
Just a small tension around his eyes, as if I had touched something he kept guarded.
“Because Miles should never have been part of this.”
“That isn’t the whole reason.”
“No.”
“Then what is?”
He looked toward the photograph in my hand.
“Your mother once helped someone in my family.”
My father’s face tightened again.
“Dante.”
It was the first time he had used his first name.
The familiarity surprised me.
Dante’s gaze shifted to him.
“You knew this day would come, Charles.”
My father looked suddenly defeated.
“I hoped it wouldn’t.”
“What did my mother do?” I asked.
Dante took his time answering.
