Chapter 15
Bianca wrote Lucy a letter.
I did not give it to her.
Not yet.
Three was too young.
I read it.
Then stored it.
The letter did not ask forgiveness.
That surprised me.
It apologized.
Specific things.
The bowl.
The names.
The pressure.
The plan to send her away.
That mattered.
No excuse about stress.
No excuse about Marcus.
No excuse about jealousy.
Maybe Bianca changed.
Maybe guilt sharpened her temporarily.
I did not need to decide.
Change does not create entitlement to return.
I told Thomas:
“She can become a saint tomorrow.”
He raised an eyebrow.
“And?”
“She still does not walk back into Lucy’s life because she wants closure.”
Good.
Boundary.
Marcus left New York.
Bianca stayed.
Different choices.
She rebuilt her own life away from Romano.
Fine.
I did not destroy either of them.
That disappointed some men.
They expected blood because Mafia stories teach people to confuse vengeance with authority.
I had something better.
Distance.
Memory.
Access denied.
And a house that no longer depended on fear.
Punishment ends.
May you like
Structure lasts.
That lesson took me longer than it should have.
