THE MAFIA BOSS GRABBED THE CRYING MAID'S WRIST—BUT WHEN SHE OPENED HER HAND, HE SAW THE ONE THING HIS DEAD WIFE HAD LEFT BEHIND

Chapter 14 - A Conversation Without Enemies

I set the bread on the counter. “I haven't decided what I feel about Adrian,” I said.

Rose nodded. “I know. That's why I asked.”

There was no jealousy in her voice, only fatigue and the wisdom of someone who had spent too long being told what her life meant.

“Adrian can be generous,” she continued. “He's also spent years using generosity to avoid listening. He may be changing. But you deserve a relationship where you don't have to teach somebody basic respect every day.”

I thought about the drawing room, the guards, my trembling hand. “I agree.”

Rose sat at the kitchen table. We talked for an hour about motherhood, work, and how easily powerful families treated women as extensions of their own needs. I liked her. That surprised both of us.

She told me she didn't plan to resume her marriage with Adrian. Too many decisions had been made without her, and the trust that survived ordinary disagreements hadn't survived what their family endured. They would parent Lucy together and each build a separate life.

A week later I moved to Rockford. Daniel carried my boxes up three flights of stairs and complained about the number of books I owned. I began my new job on a rainy Monday, helping twelve first graders sound out their names. I went home tired in the best possible way.

Adrian called on Sundays with Lucy. Sometimes Lucy showed me homework. Sometimes Adrian and I spoke after she ran off to play. He asked about my classes and listened when I talked. He never again referred to my career as something temporary until he could offer me a better alternative.

The criminal investigation entered a quieter stage. Expert reports were filed; attorneys argued over evidence; witnesses gave statements. I learned that justice rarely looked like the final scene of a movie. It was paperwork, repetition, and patience.