Chapter 3

The Bellandi estate was ridiculously huge.

It felt like we walked forever before the butler finally led me to Lily's room on the second floor.

He opened the guest room next door.

"Mr. Hayes, this will be your room."

I stood in the doorway, stunned.

Soft carpet. Floor-to-ceiling windows. Clean sheets that smelled like nothing.

It was the most beautiful room I'd ever seen.

That evening, I made Lily some mac and cheese and played with building blocks with her.

Once she fell asleep, I went back to my room.

In the middle of the night, screams jolted me awake.

"Go away!"

"Don't touch me! Help!"

I rushed into Lily's room.

She was curled up in the corner of her bed, drenched in cold sweat.

She must have been having a nightmare.

Whenever the servants tried to approach, she frantically waved her arms.

"Bad guys! You're all bad guys!"

The butler wheeled Vittoria into the room.

Lily cried even harder.

"Stay away!"

I hurried to her bedside and gently pulled her into my arms.

"Lily, it's me."

She struggled at first, then wrapped her arms tightly around my neck and sobbed,

"Mr. Hayes, they're trying to take me again..."

"Don't be scared."

I patted her back.

"I already beat up the bad guys."

"One punch each. And I smashed their van with a propane tank!"

Lily sniffled.

"Will they come back?"

"If they do, I'll beat them up all over again."

"Nobody touches you while I'm here."

She finally calmed down, but her little hands still clung tightly to my shirt.

I held her close and hummed a song the orphanage director had taught me when I was little.

It took a long time before Lily finally fell asleep again.

I quietly slipped out of her room.

Vittoria was still waiting outside.

She lowered her head, looking guilty.

"When Lily was taken, I couldn't protect her. She blames me for it."

I glanced at her motionless legs.

"It's okay. Give her some time. She'll understand."

She didn't answer. After a moment, she asked,

"Who taught you to fight like that?"

"No one."

"I grew up in an orphanage. Always the biggest kid there."

"The others loved to remind me. Until they found out big means hard to beat."

Vittoria fell silent for a moment.

"Didn't you go to school?"

"For a few years."

I smiled.

"But I only made it to high school before I had to start working."

"I don't have much education, and I'm no good at office work. All I can do is earn a living with my strength."

"Honestly, I've always envied people who got to stay in school."

Vittoria studied me for a moment but said nothing.

The next morning, I came downstairs to find the living room covered in streamers.

Lily wore a little bridal veil and held a bouquet of roses she'd picked from the garden.

She nervously gripped the stems and asked,

"Mr. Hayes..."

"Will you marry my mommy?"

I nearly missed a step.

"Marry who?!"