Chapter 2 - Echoes in the NurseryArthur’s breath hitched. Used to hold him?

Clara had only been hired after his wife, Elena, passed away under tragic, deeply contested circumstances six months ago—the exact night Leo was born.
"What are you talking about?" Arthur stepped forward, his hand instinctively reaching out to reclaim his son. "Give me my boy."
Clara stepped back, a defensive, fierce protection flashing in her eyes. It wasn't the posture of a subordinate; it was the stance of a mother protecting her flesh and blood. "Don't touch him, Arthur. Not yet. Look at his hands."
Arthur froze. He looked down. Little Leo’s fingers, which had been clenched into tight, furious fists all evening, were now unfurled, gently tracing the edge of a silver pendant resting against Clara’s collarbone.
It was a pendant Arthur knew intimately. It had belonged to Elena. It was buried with her.
"Where did you get that?" Arthur demanded, a cold sweat breaking out across his neck. "That necklace... that was buried with my wife."
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Clara finally raised her eyes, meeting his with a gaze so heavy, so laden with unspeakable sorrow that Arthur felt the floor tilt beneath him. "Bodies are fragile things, Arthur. But souls? Souls are stubborn. They cling to whatever—or whoever—they refuse to leave behind."
Before Arthur could demand an explanation, Leo let out a soft, gurgling coo—and reached out his tiny hand to wipe away one of Clara's tears.