Chapter 4 - No More Grabbing
“Leave the doorway clear,” Clara said.
Vincent’s smile faded.
“Excuse me?”
“He needs to see a way out.”
“I’ve known him since he was born.”
“Then help him.”
Rico appeared behind his uncle.
For a moment, neither man moved.
Then Rico said, “Come downstairs, Vincent.”
Clara stayed on the carpet.
Leo rocked against the table leg.
“Too loud,” he whispered.
“It’s quiet now.”
“Too loud.”
She did not ask who.
She did not ask when.
She breathed slowly until his hands dropped.
That afternoon, Rico sat across from her in the kitchen.
“Do you think he’s afraid of my uncle?”
“I think he was afraid when your uncle came in.”
“That’s the same thing.”
“No. One is what I saw. The other is a conclusion.”
Rico stared at his untouched coffee.
“He’s seen three doctors.”
“Has he seen someone who works with children after trauma?”
“One appointment. He screamed.”
“So you stopped?”
“The woman said I should leave the room.”
“And you decided she was wrong?”
His jaw tightened.
Clara waited.
Finally, he looked away.
“Yes.”
“Try again.”
Rico dragged a hand over his face.
“What else?”
“A routine. Fewer people reaching for him. And stop telling him he’s fine when he isn’t.”
She expected an argument.
Instead, he pulled out his phone and asked his assistant to call the specialist.
Then he offered Clara a temporary job.
Clear hours.
A written agreement.
No expectation that she would move in.
She read every page.
“You can’t buy his progress,” she said.
“I’m buying your time.”
“That’s all you get.”
He nodded.
On her way out, she passed a small sitting room.
Teresa stood inside, gripping the back of a chair.
Vincent’s voice came from behind the partly closed door.
“Elena was exhausted. We agreed there was no reason to upset Rico with those papers.”
“We agreed to nothing,” Teresa said.
Clara slowed.
A floorboard creaked beneath her shoe.
The door opened.
Vincent looked at her.
“Lost?”
“Front door.”
“Straight ahead.”
He watched until she reached it.
Outside, Dante opened the car.
Clara glanced back at the house.
Upstairs, Leo stood at a window beside his nanny.
May you like
He raised one hand.
Then someone pulled the curtain shut.
