Chapter 39

• I stood in the hallway of that grand mansion, watching Dante interact with the three children whom, until then, I believed to be his own. My heart raced, a sense of nostalgia mixed with a twinge of surprise dominating my emotions. Dante approached me, the little ones in tow, and gave me a look that seemed to carry a blend of emotions.
• “Sorry if the kids were in the way; we were heading to the garden,” he apologized, his voice soft but laden with an unspoken tension.
• I nodded, trying to dispel the discomfort that had settled in my chest. “Don't worry, they didn't bother at all.”