Chapter 13 - The Bridge Across the River In early June, Luca took Nia and the boys back to the rooftop restaurant where their past had exploded ten months earlier.
This time, there was no ambush, no society fiancée, no panic. It was sunset. The dining room was quiet, bathed in soft amber and violet hues reflecting off the city skyline.
The boys sat happily eating vanilla gelato, their laughter ringing against the glass.
Luca looked at Nia across the table. He reached out his hand, palm up, waiting. He did not seize hers; he offered an open invitation.
Nia looked at his hand—calloused now from gardening and lifting boys, steady and open. She placed her fingers into his palm. His fingers closed around hers with reverence.
"Thank you," he said softly.
"For what?"
May you like
"For not letting my worst mistake define our children's future."
"They deserve the whole sky, Luca," Nia replied, her eyes bright with tears. "Not half of it."
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