Chapter 14

On Valentina's second birthday, I held a small celebration at the compound. Family only. The council members and their wives. My parents. And Luca. He arrived carrying a hand-carved wooden castle—three months of work, every turret sanded smooth, every tiny door on real hinges. Valentina screamed with delight and immediately began relocating her toy soldiers inside with the strategic precision of a born general. My father watched from his chair with an expression I'd never seen before. Pride—not...