“But I’m his son. His legacy. Everything I am is built on what he did.”
Father Benedetto is quiet for a moment. “Let me ask you something. What kind of man do you want Luca to grow up to be?”
The question hits me hard like it always does. “Good. Honest. Better than me.”
“And what kind of father does he need to become that man?”
I don’t have a good answer. Because I don’t know if I can be that father. I don’t know if someone like me is capable of raising a child to be better than what I am.
“I don’t know.”
“I think you do. I think you know exactly what he needs. You’re just afraid you can’t give it to him.”
He’s right. As usual.
“The ledger contains evidence that could destroy my family’s legacy. Expose crimes that would make it impossible to claim any moral high ground. If I find it and reveal what’s in it, I’m betraying everything my father built.”
“And if you find it and hide what’s in it, you’re perpetuating those crimes. Allowing them to continue being buried while you benefit from the foundation they created.”
“So either way, I lose.”
“Or either way, you win. Because you’re making a choice instead of letting circumstances choose for you. That’s what being a father means, Dante. Making the hard choices so your son doesn’t have to.”
I sit with that for a long time, turning it over in my mind.
“What would you do?” I finally ask.
“I would ask myself what kind of world I want my child to grow up in. Then I would do whatever it takes to create that world, even if it costs me everything.”
I leave the church with more questions than answers, but at least I have a framework for thinking about them.
When I get back to the estate, it’s past eight and the house is quiet. I check the security monitors first, confirming all systems are operational and guards are at their posts.
Then I hear laughter coming from the library.
I follow the sound and find Scarlett and Luca sitting together on the couch, a children’s book spread across their laps. Luca is sounding out words slowly while Scarlett helps him, both of them laughing when he gets stuck on a particularly tricky one.
“C-a-t-er-pil-lar,” Luca says carefully. “Caterpillar!”
“That’s right, baby. You’re getting so good at this.”
“Can we read another one?”
“One more, then it’s bedtime.”
I stand in the doorway watching them, and something in my chest loosens.
This. This is what I’m fighting for.
Not power or legacy or revenge. Not the ledger or what it contains or what controlling it might mean for my position.
This fragile, beautiful thing I’ve built with Scarlett and our son. These quiet moments of normalcy in a life that’s anything but normal.
Scarlett looks up and sees me. Her smile is soft and genuine, and it hits me that she’s not afraid of me anymore. Somewhere along the way, she stopped seeing me as a threat and started seeing me as something else.
As Luca’s father. As her partner. Maybe even as someone she could love.
“D!” Luca jumps up and runs to me. “I’m learning to read big words! Mama’s teaching me!”
