Chapter 8 - The Quiet After the StormTwo weeks later, the Duca estate finally felt like a home again.
The heavy velvet curtains in the drawing room were pulled back wide, letting the bright afternoon sunlight flood across the polished marble floors. The air smelled of fresh lavender and baked pastries instead of lingering grief and paranoia.
Lily sat at the small mahogany table in the garden, meticulously coloring inside the lines of a picture book while her cream teddy bear sat propped up on the chair beside her, its newly stitched ear looking strong and secure.
Inside the study, Alessandro stood by the French doors, watching his daughter laugh at something funny Emma had done on the lawn.
Sophia walked in quietly, carrying a silver tray with a cup of black coffee. She placed it gently on the desk before turning to leave.
“Sophia,” Alessandro said without turning around.
She paused near the doorway. “Yes, Mr. Duca?”
“Your salary has been tripled, effective immediately,” Alessandro said quietly. “And the cottage on the western edge of the estate is now officially deeded in your name. Free and clear.”
Sophia’s eyes welled with tears. She pressed her hands together, bowing her head slightly. “Thank you, sir. For everything. But more importantly... thank you for bringing peace back to this house.”
“It wasn't me,” Alessandro replied, turning around with a faint, rare smile touching the corners of his lips. “It was a three-year-old girl in one sock who knew how to listen when broken things spoke.”
Sophia smiled softly and nodded, slipping quietly out of the room.
Alessandro picked up the small silver recorder from his desk. He pressed play one last time.
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“Good night, my little princess,” Isabella’s voice whispered through the quiet study, warm, loving, and eternal. “Daddy is going to take care of you now.”
Alessandro pressed the stop button, slid the device into his desk drawer, and locked it for good. The ghosts were finally laid to rest.
