That evening, a truck arrived laden with packages wrapped in the Caruso colors. I gave the driver directions to Mina's address, already composing the words I'd say when I saw her.
I hadn't expected to encounter Luca downstairs.
Celina Vitale's slender silhouette trailed behind him like a shadow, both of them carrying bags from the market—household essentials, the mundane trappings of domesticity. They looked, for all the world, like a young couple settling into a new nest.
Aunt Mina descended the stairs to greet me just as this tableau unfolded before us. She opened her mouth to speak, but I cut her off before she could draw breath.
"The package from Mother arrived. Make sure you check the dates on everything—she'd be furious if anything spoiled."
I didn't spare Luca Haskins so much as a glance, yet this time, unexpectedly, he volunteered an explanation.
"Elena, don't misunderstand. Celina's previous place wasn't secure—too exposed. I helped her find somewhere safer. I had no idea your aunt lived in this building." His eyes swept over the boxes the driver was unloading. "Why so many supplies?"