Chapter 3
I carried Leo out of the garage.
He did not ask me to put him down.
That told me more than words.
My son had always been proud of walking beside me.
Today, he curled into my chest like a child half his age.
Inside the mansion, Helena followed us.
Her heels struck the marble floor fast.
“You are humiliating me in front of staff.”
I kept walking.
“Good.”
Her breath caught.
“You cannot speak to me like that.”
I stopped at the bottom of the stairs.
The housekeeper, Rosa, stood frozen near the kitchen entrance.
Two maids watched from the hallway.
A driver stared at the floor.
Everybody knew.
That was the first thing I understood.
Everybody knew something.
And nobody had told me.
I looked at Rosa.
“Call Dr. Bell.”
Her eyes filled.
“Yes, Mr. Romano.”
Helena snapped, “He doesn’t need a doctor. He needs discipline.”
Leo buried his face in my jacket.
I turned.
“Say one more word about discipline.”
She shut her mouth.
In Leo’s room, I helped him change out of the wet pants.
His knees were red from the concrete.
His hands were raw from soap and cold water.
No blood.
No broken skin.
But enough pain to make my throat close.
Dr. Bell arrived within twenty minutes.
He examined Leo gently while I stood beside the bed.
“Has this happened before?” the doctor asked.
Leo looked at me.
I nodded.
“You’re safe.”
He whispered, “Sometimes she locks the pantry.”
Dr. Bell looked at me.
I did not move.
Because if I moved, I might destroy the house.
“Anything else?” Dr. Bell asked softly.
Leo reached under his pillow.
He pulled out a small black toy car.
Its side had been scraped with something sharp.
“She said next time it would be my fault too.”
I took the toy.
On the bottom was a small piece of paper taped flat.
A note.
Not from Helena.
From Sofia.
May you like
My dead wife.
If he ever becomes afraid in his own home, check the garage cameras.
