“Show me,” she said. “Not just words. Actions.”
“I will.”
He turned to go, then stopped. She felt him wrestling with something—a question he wasn’t sure he had the right to ask.
“What is it?”
“The recipe book.” He faced her again. “Where is it? Malachar thinks he destroyed it in the fire, but I know you moved it after we got it back.”
Marina hesitated.
“I hid it at Estelle’s,” she said. “The day after we confronted Malachar. I didn’t tell anyone because…”
“Because you didn’t trust me not to do something reckless with the information.” He nodded slowly. “That was smart.”
She waited for the hurt. The accusation. The old Alessandro would have felt betrayed by her secrecy.
This Alessandro just looked thoughtful.
“You were right to be careful,” he said. “And you were right not to tell me. I would have tried to control the situation. Probably would have made it worse.”
“Estelle has been studying it,” Marina said. “She thinks she understands how the curse-breaking ritual works. But we’ll need to prepare. The ingredients aren’t simple.”
“Tell me what you need. Whatever it is, I’ll help.”
“I need to think first. Talk to Estelle. Figure out the best approach.” She met his eyes. “Can you give me that? Time to think without pressure?”
“I can give you whatever you need.”
“Even if it means staying away?”
He flinched. But he didn’t argue.
“Even then,” he said. “If that’s what you need, I’ll stay away.”
“Not completely away,” she said. “Just… let me come to you. When I’m ready.”
“I can do that.”
“And Alessandro?” She waited until he met her eyes. “Don’t do anything stupid in the meantime. No confronting Malachar alone. No dramatic gestures. Just… be patient.”
“That’s not my strongest skill.”
“I know. Consider it practice.”
Something almost like a smile crossed his face.
“Three days,” she said. “Show me you can change. Really change. And then we’ll talk about what comes next.”
He nodded once and walked away.
She watched him through the window as he crossed the street. He didn’t look back. Didn’t pause at the corner to see if she was watching.
She closed the door and leaned against it.
Through the window, she could still see him. Halfway down the block now, hands in his pockets.
“Three days,” she whispered to the empty hallway. “Don’t waste them.”
