Chapter 8 - The Return to San Lorenzo
Six months later.
The spring sun warmed the stone walls of the cottage in San Lorenzo. The hillside was vibrant with green olive trees, wild lavender, and yellow daisies blooming across the valley.
A sleek black SUV pulled up the dirt lane, stopping near the porch.
The doors opened, and three boys tumbled out onto the grass. Leo, now six, was dressed in jeans and a light jacket, his eyes bright as he looked around at his childhood home. Four-year-old Mateo ran straight toward the wild garden, chasing a blue butterfly, while three-year-old Julian trotted happily behind him, clutching his favorite stuffed bear.
Dominic stepped out of the driver's seat. He was wearing a casual linen shirt, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, looking relaxed, healthy, and younger than he had in a decade.
He walked up the small hill behind the cottage, where a simple white stone marker sat under the shade of an ancient olive tree.
The marker read simply: Elena Vasquez — Loved Beyond Measure.
Dominic knelt beside the stone. He placed a small bouquet of fresh lavender on the earth.
Footsteps approached from behind. Leo walked up the hill and stood beside his father, looking down at the grave.
"Do you miss her?" Leo asked quietly.
Dominic reached out, wrapping his arm around Leo’s shoulders, pulling the boy against his side. "Every day. But I see her in you. In Mateo's smile. In Julian's eyes."
Leo looked up at his father. "Are we staying here?"
"For the summer," Dominic replied, looking out over the beautiful valley. "We will build a new house down by the stream. A place where you boys can run without guards, without walls, without fear."
"What about your high tower in the city?" Leo asked with a small, knowing grin.
May you like
Dominic smiled—a real, open, radiant smile that warmed his entire face. "The high tower can run itself. My home is wherever you three are."
Mateo and Julian came running up the hill, their shoes covered in dirt, laughing wildly as they threw themselves at Dominic’s legs. Dominic laughed aloud, catching both toddlers in his arms, lifting them high into the air as the mountain breeze rustled through the olive trees.
