Page 115 of Of Lies and Shadows

He exhales, eyes fixed on the road. “Because I needed to bring it in front of the council. And I didn’t.”

“Why?” My voice is softer now.

“Vito,” he admits after a beat. “Fulvio knew something about him. Something that could’ve destroyed him. He made mistakes, yes. But he’s not a bad man. He doesn’t deserve to be ruined.”

“So you chose your friend… over revenge?”

“I got revenge,” he says quietly. “Just not to the extent I promised you. And for that, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.” I squeeze his hand. “You did what was right.”

He doesn’t even realize how much it means to me—this glimpse of the man beneath the fury. This man who chooses mercy when he could have chosen fire.

He looks over, eyes heavy with something unspoken. “Thank you for understanding.”

I open my mouth to say more, but then we round the corner, and the words fall away.

A crooked banner hangs across the front porch, strung between twoposts with glittery tape. The letters are big, bold, and wildly uneven—WELCOME HOME CECE!!!—with far too many exclamation marks and not enough spacing. There are stick figures, dogs with three legs, a rainbow that looks like it cried itself into a puddle, and a giant red heart in the middle with Francesca written in blocky purple letters.

I cover my mouth, tears immediately pricking my eyes. “Oh my god…”

“Told you they weren’t artists,” Dante murmurs.

The front door bursts open before he can even get the car fully stopped.

“Cece!”

Lucia tears across the lawn in socks and no coat, her curls bouncing wildly as she hurls herself toward us. Dante barely gets the door open before she crawls into my lap, hugging me with all the force her little arms can muster.

“I missed you so much,” she whispers. “I prayed every night. Even when I was sleepy.”

I press a kiss to her hair, holding her as tightly as I can without wincing. “I missed you too, little star. Every single second.”

Alessio follows behind at a slower pace, his hands stuffed in his hoodie, face uncertain. He hovers at the side of the car, eyes flicking over me like he’s afraid I’ll vanish again.

I reach out my hand.

“Come here, tesoro.”

He climbs in carefully and folds himself into my side, half on the seat and half on the door. “You look better,” hesays gruffly, and I smile.

“I feel better. Mostly thanks to you.”

His throat works, but he doesn’t say anything, just nods and lays his head carefully on my shoulder.

Lucia sniffs. “Alessio said you might go live with the fairies. Like Mama.”

A breath catches in my chest.

Dante crouches by the open door, his hand coming to rest on Alessio’s back. “She didn’t,” he says gently. “Because she loves you both too much.”

I clear my throat and brush a hand through Lucia’s curls. “I stayed. I fought really hard to stay. For you two. For all of us.”

Lucia beams, her face sticky with tears and leftover glitter.

“Come on,” Dante says softly. “Let’s get her inside.”

They help me out of the car, Dante carrying me again despite my protests, and Lucia leading the way, announcing every step like a little tour guide.

---