Chapter 10 - The Last Reflection
Six months later, on a sun-drenched terrace overlooking the cliffs of the Sicilian coastline, the Mediterranean breeze carried the scent of salt water and blooming lemon trees.
Mia sat at a small wrought-iron table, intensely focused on drawing a picture of a fierce wolf standing over a shattered glass cage.
Victoria walked out onto the terrace, carrying a pitcher of fresh lemonade. She set it down on the table and ran her fingers gently through her daughter’s dark curls.
“How’s the drawing coming along, sweetie?” Victoria asked softly.
Mia held up the sketchpad. The wolf was painted in bold, dark strokes, standing tall and proud beneath a bright morning sun, while the broken pieces of glass around its paws glittered like diamonds in the light.
“It’s finished, Mommy,” Mia said with a bright, fearless smile. “It’s Uncle Dante and us.”
Victoria smiled, her heart swelling with a deep, permanent peace she hadn't felt in a decade.
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Down below on the stone pathway, Dante walked up the winding steps from the private beach, carrying a small bouquet of wildflowers he had picked along the shore. He looked up, catching Victoria’s eye from the terrace, and raised his hand in a slow, familiar greeting.
The monster in the foyer was nothing more than a bad memory now—a dark shadow buried beneath broken glass and forgotten history. They had survived the fall, and the glass was swept away forever.
