In soone else’s car, Elodie had dozed off for a few minutes, though it wasn’t deep sleep, it was more like her body finally giving in to exhaustion. When she opened her eyes and saw Harry pulling his hand back from near her shoulder, she didn’t think much of it. He’d probably been adjusting her seatbelt or sothing.
"Are we there?" she asked, her voice still a little rough from sleep.
"Almost."
Two minutes later, the car pulled into the hospital parking lot. Harry carefully lifted Daisy out of the backseat, cradling her against his chest. He glanced back at Elodie. "Do you want to arrange a driver to take you ho?"
Elodie shook her head, already reaching for her keys. "No need. I’ll drive myself back."
Harry didn’t push.
As Elodie was about to get into her car, her phone buzzed in her pocket. A ssage from Dante.
‘Nonna’s planning to visit your grandmother later. We should all head back to the Miller house together.’’
She stared at the ssage for a mont.
This needed a response.
She pressed the call button instead of typing back.
Dante answered almost imdiately. "Hello?"
"I’ll pick up Liora and bring her over," Elodie said, keeping her tone neutral.
By saying it like that, she was making it clear she didn’t expect him to co with her. After all, every ti she’d asked him to go back to the Miller family with her in the past, he’d found so excuse to bail.
And honestly, her family didn’t exactly want to see him either.
There was a pause on the other end of the line.
Then Dante replied simply, "Okay."
Elodie hung up without another word and turned the car toward Dante’s villa.
---
When she arrived, Liora was already waiting, her little backpack sitting neatly by the door.
But the mont Elodie stepped inside, Liora curled up closer to Dante on the sofa, turning her face away pointedly.
She was still mad about the skiing trip.
Dante glanced up at Elodie, and his expression shifted slightly. "Did you not sleep well last night?"
Elodie hadn’t expected him to ask.
Maybe it was because she hadn’t bothered with makeup today, or because her hair was still a little windblown and ssy. Whatever it was, her lack of sleep must’ve been obvious.
She gave a curt "Mm" and didn’t elaborate.
The housekeeper, however, jumped in with concern. "Oh dear, have you been having trouble sleeping? We have so wonderful lavender incense, I can put so in your room if you’d like."
Elodie waved her off gently. "I usually sleep fine. I just went camping yesterday, and I’m not used to sleeping outdoors."
The housekeeper frowned, clearly worried. "Camping in the winter? You’ll catch your death of cold!"
Elodie smiled despite herself. "Winter camping is actually pretty fun. You can have snowball fights, build snown, play gas around the fire... The atmosphere’s just different."
She thought back to the other campers she’d seen, laughing, bundled up in blankets, roasting marshmallows under the stars.
She’d felt a little envious, honestly.
Dante, who had been quietly listening, set down the newspaper he’d been holding and looked at her more closely.
Liora, however, felt her irritation spike even higher.
Last ti, Mom didn’t comfort her when she was upset.
And now she’d gone camping! Camping which sounded amazing, and she didn’t even invite her?!
Liora grabbed her backpack, hopped off the sofa with a huff, and stomped toward the stairs.
Elodie’s brow furrowed, but before she could say anything, Dante’s voice cut through the room.
"Liora. Co back."
He didn’t raise his voice. Didn’t sound angry.
Liora pouted, her little shoulders slumping as she turned around slowly and stood still.
Dante glanced over at her, his expression calm but expectant.
Liora lowered her head, dragging her schoolbag behind her as she shuffled back in silence.
But she didn’t go to Elodie’s side.
Instead, she walked straight to Dante, grabbed his hand, and looked up at him with wide, pleading eyes. "Daddy, can you co with us? Please?"
Dante didn’t look at Elodie. He just reached down and gently tapped Liora’s nose with his finger, his voice soft. "Daddy has work to take care of. Be good and listen to your mom, alright?"
Liora’s face fell. "Okay..."
She stood there for a mont longer, clearly reluctant, before finally glancing over at Elodie.
Then, slowly, she reached out her hand.
It was her way of making peace.
Elodie took her small hand in hers, squeezing gently. After saying a brief goodbye to the housekeeper, they left the house together.
---
When they arrived at the Miller family ho, Nonna had already been there for a while.
The mont she saw that only Elodie and Liora had arrived, with no Dante, her expression soured. "Where’s Dante? Don’t tell he’s busy again."
Elodie nodded quietly. "He had sothing he couldn’t get out of."
Nonna looked like she was about to grab her phone and call him herself, but Grandma Miller, who already knew about the impending divorce, gently placed a hand on her arm.
"He’s got work to do. I understand. No need to make a fuss," Grandma Miller said, her tone carefully neutral.
Nonna huffed but didn’t push further.
They went inside, and Liora imdiately ran upstairs to play video gas with Hugo.
Elodie stayed downstairs with the two grandmothers, settling into the familiar rhythm of conversation.
When Nonna spotted the two new paintings Grandma Miller had recently finished, her eyes lit up. "These are beautiful! You’ve really outdone yourself."
Grandma Miller smiled, a touch of pride in her expression. "I’ve been using the calligraphy set Elodie gave for my birthday. It’s made all the difference."
Nonna’s smile widened. "That’s wonderful." Then she paused, her tone shifting slightly. "What about Dante? Did he at least send sothing thoughtful?"
Grandma Miller’s expression tightened just a bit, though she kept her voice even. "He did. A set of jade jewelry, master-grade, apparently. And an embroidered piece. It was... nice."
Nonna looked satisfied. "Well, at least he listened to about that."
Elodie said nothing, her hands folded neatly in her lap.
---
After a while in the study, the two grandmothers moved out to the garden for tea.
Grandma Miller gestured toward the house next door, her tone though was casual it was curious. "It’s odd, you know. That place was being renovated around the clock recently, day and night. I thought the new owners were in a rush to move in. But then, suddenly, everything just stopped."
Nonna sipped her tea thoughtfully. "Maybe sothing ca up. Plans change."
"Maybe."
Elodie had been considering selling that property for a while now, but she’d been worried it might end up in the hands of the Brown or Green family. So she’d done nothing.
She hadn’t even gone inside to look at it.
Ever since the Green family had been involved, the thought of stepping foot in there made her skin crawl.
So the matter had been left unresolved.
Just as she was thinking about it, a sudden chill ran down her spine.
She sneezed.
Grandma Miller looked over, concerned. "Are you catching a cold, dear?"
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