The DeLuca estate felt heavier than usual that morning. Not in any literal sense, of course, but in a suffocating way a house did when everyone inside it already knew to keep their heads down. Conversations barely happened, the footsteps sounded softer than usual. Nobody stayed where they didn’t absolutely need to be. They’d all learned the rhythm of Antonio’s silences over the years. Especially on days like this. Days when he didn’t want noise clouding his mind.

He sat in the lounge ...