My breath caught. I turned to her, but Amara was already kneeling, brushing her fingers gently over the engraving. Her face softened and she smiled.
“This is where I come,” she said quietly. “Whenever life becomes too much. This is my place.” Her gaze softened, carrying both grief and love.
“I talk to him here…my first child, my little dot. I lost him years ago, when enemies tried to destroy Leonardo and me…the same way the Barbaro is trying to destroy Nico and you.”
I didn’t know what to say. My mouth opened, but no words came. The ache in her voice was its own story, heavier than anything I could imagine. I remembered something like this happened, but then the twins were born, and it all faded into the background.
Amara sat back on her heels, her gaze distant. “I felt empty, Gianna.
