Sophia's christening was held two months later in the same restored chapel the Casteliano family had used for generations, though the guest list bore little resemblance to the rigid, formal gatherings of the family's past. Marchetti and Casteliano relatives sat together without the careful, wary distance that had once defined every interaction between them, old grudges finally and fully laid to rest.
The chapel itself had been decorated simply, at Elena's request. Soft white and gold, with wildflowers echoing the ones from their private ceremony months earlier, filled the space. Sunlight spilled warmly through the old stained glass windows onto the small, gathered crowd. Elena stood at the altar with Sophia in her arms, dressed in a delicate christening gown that had once belonged to Dant
