The words made my heart start racing again.
“If they see it…”
“I’ll take care of it,” he said immediately.
His voice was calm.
Steady.
Like danger was just another problem he knew how to solve.
For a moment he just looked at me.
Like he wanted to say something else.
Ask something.
Demand answers.
But instead he glanced at Emmy again and gently tucked the blanket around her one more time.
“I’ll be right back.”
The door closed behind him.
I stood there staring at my daughter.
“You’re safe,” I whispered.
Even though I wasn’t sure I believed it yet.
Every shadow in the room felt too deep.
Every sound from downstairs made my heart jump.
Footsteps.
Voices.
The creak of the tavern door.
I had lived like this for months.
In Italy, it started slowly.
A man who lingered too long near my building.
A car that appeared twice in the same week.
Someone was asking the café owner questions about me in a language he didn’t think I understood.
But I did.
And I knew exactly what it meant.
Marco had found me.
I brushed my fingers over Emmy’s cheek.
