Chapter 4 - The Ledger of Absence Nia opened the door just wide enough to let him step into the foyer, keeping the doorway to the children’s room firmly closed.
"What do you want, Luca? An apology for not tracking down your Manhattan penthouses?" Nia asked, crossing her arms.
"Why didn't you send word?" His voice cracked. "A letter. A lawyer. Anything. I would have paid for everything. They wouldn't have lacked a single thing."
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"Money was never what they lacked, Luca," Nia said firmly. "Look around. They have safety, books, art, and truth. If I came to you four years ago, you would have treated them as an obligation—a mess to settle with trust funds while your father’s creditors circled. You said you didn't love me so you wouldn't feel guilty about prioritizing ambition. I gave you the solitude you begged for."
Luca looked at the crayon drawings taped to the refrigerator—two smiling boys, a woman with braided hair, and a dog they had yet to adopt. There was no missing father drawn in pencil. There was no empty space left on the paper.
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