Chapter 10 - A New Light in the Mansion
That evening, the rain stopped, leaving the night air crisp and clear.
Claire stood in the grand kitchen of the Westchester mansion, wringing her hands nervously. An hour earlier, Gabriel’s driver had picked her and Lily up from their apartment in Queens, carrying three large suitcases containing all their meager belongings.
Gabriel walked into the kitchen, his dark suit jacket removed, his white shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows.
"Mr. Romano," Claire began, her voice quivering with emotion. "I... I don't know what to say. Your men told me Ryan signed the surrender papers. They said... they said you paid off my medical bills and prepared the west wing apartment for us. I can't accept all of this. It’s too much. I’m just your housekeeper."
Gabriel walked over to the counter and picked up a glass of water. "You are not just my housekeeper, Claire. You are a mother raising a child alone in a cruel city. And this house has been a graveyard for ten years."
He looked toward the adjoining sitting room. Lily was sitting on the broad window seat, staring out at the expansive back lawn filled with glowing garden lights. Her faded stuffed rabbit was held securely in her arms.
"I lost my daughter ten years ago, Claire," Gabriel said softly, speaking the words aloud for the first time in a decade. "I thought locking away her memory would keep me safe. But watching Lily today reminded me of what it means to be alive."
Claire’s eyes filled with soft tears. "She loves it here, Mr. Romano. She thinks you’re a wizard who lives in a castle."
Gabriel let out a genuine, low chuckle—a sound that hadn't been heard in that house for ten long years. "A wizard. I’ve been called worse."
He walked out of the kitchen and slowly approached the sitting room where Lily sat. The little girl turned her head as his shadow fell across the rug.
"Mr. Gabriel?" Lily asked, using the name her mother had taught her.
"Yes, Lily?"
"Is my daddy ever coming back?" she asked softly, her brown eyes searching his face with innocent clarity.
Gabriel slowly sank down onto his knee in front of her, ignoring the slight ache in his joints. He reached out and gently smoothed a rogue dark curl away from her forehead.
"No, Lily," Gabriel said, keeping his voice gentle and steady. "Your father had to go far away. But you and your mother are going to stay here now. No one will ever make you feel unwanted again. I promise you that."
Lily stared at him for a moment, absorbing his words. Then, with the effortless trust of a child, she leaned forward and wrapped her tiny arms around his neck, burying her face into his shoulder.
"Okay," she whispered into his ear. "I like it here better anyway."
May you like
Gabriel froze for a fraction of a second, his body rigid with shock. Then, slowly, his large, scarred arms came up, encircling the tiny girl and holding her tight against his chest.
Upstairs, at the end of the long dark gallery, the door to Emma’s room remained locked. But for the first time in ten years, the heavy, suffocating darkness inside the limestone mansion was finally gone.
