Chapter 13 - Pancakes and Promises
A set of hurried, tiny footsteps pattered across the hardwood stairs. Mia bounded into the kitchen, wearing oversized pink pajamas and rubbing her sleepy eyes.
“Dante! You made it back!” she shouted, running straight toward him.
Dante knelt down, catching her in a gentle bear hug, mindful of his injured arm. “Of course I did. A pinky promise is unbreakable, remember? If I broke it, my heart would turn to stone.”
Mia inspected the white bandage wrapped around his arm, her little brow furrowing with concern. “Did you fight the monsters?”
“I chased them away,” Dante smiled, tapping the tip of her nose. “And they’re never coming back. Now, did someone mention chocolate-chip waffles?”
“With extra whipped cream!” Mia cheered, scrambling onto a kitchen barstool.
For the next hour, laughter echoed through the open estate. Dante watched Elena flip golden pancakes while Mia built elaborate towers out of sliced strawberries and whipped cream. The heavy silence that had defined his luxurious home for years was replaced with warmth, noise, and life.
As Elena leaned over the counter to wipe a smudge of chocolate from Mia’s cheek, she caught Dante staring at them with an expression of profound serenity.
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“What are you thinking about?” Elena asked softly.
“I’m thinking about all the birthdays we have to celebrate,” Dante replied, his eyes softening. “We have seven years to make up for.”
