"Because I'm usually too busy. And I don't have anyone to decorate for."
"That's sad," she says.
It strikes me that a child so young can understand something so complex.
It is sad… very sad that I have no one to share all of this with, and I've never thought of it once until this precious babe mentioned it.
But Angelica glares on, hating me with her eyes.
"Marta, take Sofia back to the guest room," I say. "Make sure she has everything she needs."
Marta moves forward and holds out her hand.
Sofia looks at her mother for permission.
Angelica hesitates, then nods.
Sofia takes Marta's hand and lets herself be led out of the kitchen.
Her cough echoes down the hallway as they walk away.
The moment they're gone, Angelica rounds on me, her eyes blazing with anger.
"What do you want from us?" she demands.
"I want the truth," I say. "And I want to make sure you're both protected."
"Protected from what? From you?"
"From the people who sent you here. From Antonelli Gerard and anyone else who thinks they can use you to get to me."
She crosses her arms over her chest.
"I don't need your protection. I need you to let us go."
"That's not going to happen."
"You can't keep us here forever."
"I can keep you here as long as necessary."
She takes a step toward me.
Her hands curl into fists at her sides.
"She's not yours, Dante. You have no claim to her."
"She has my eyes. Don't tell me she's not mine." I hold my ground, but the surge of anger in my chest makes me want to snap at her.
"Biology doesn't make you a father," she says, but her voice cracks.
"You don't know her. You weren't there when she was born. You didn't stay up all night when she was sick or teach her how to walk or hold her when she had nightmares. You're a stranger to her."
"Because you didn't give me a choice," I say.
My voice hardens. "You left without telling me you were pregnant. You hid her from me for six years. You took away any chance I had to be part of her life."
"I was protecting her."
