POV ALESSANDRO
The phone rings at eleven thirty at night. Normally I’d already be asleep at this hour, but after the call with Lola twenty minutes ago, sleep is impossible. I’ve been sitting in my study, staring at the framed photos of my grandchildren on the desk, processing the fact that in just a few days they’ll be on the other side of the world.
Six months.
My daughter and my grandchildren will be in New York for six months.
The house is going to feel empty in ways I haven’t experienced since Isabella finally left after the divorce.
I look at the phone screen. Unknown number with a U.S. area code. Normally I wouldn’t answer an unknown number this late, but something tells me I should.
“Pronto,” I answer in Italian, momentarily forgetting to switch to English.
“Mr. De Rossi?” Th
