They brought Sophia home three days later, and the estate had been transformed in their absence. Isabella and the household staff had clearly spent every spare hour preparing, with soft welcome banners strung discreetly through the entrance hall and the nursery stocked with everything a newborn could possibly need.
"You didn't have to do all this," Elena said, exhausted but touched, cradling Sophia carefully as Dante helped her from the car.
"We wanted to," Isabella said, appearing in the doorway with characteristic enthusiasm, though she kept her voice carefully soft at the sight of the sleeping baby. "Every part of this family has been waiting for her. Let us celebrate a little."
The following weeks settled into a rhythm neither Dante nor Elena had ever experienced before. Sleepless n
