Chapter 93

MARK

Judy wasn't gone. Not yet. And Giulia didn't hear anything I said after that. Neither did I sleep in the room that night. The couch was my option because I wanted Giulia to see the suffering she was putting me through.

But she didn't step out of the room the next morning. I paced the house a little, then decided to check on the men at the gate, perhaps a conversation with them would lighten my mood a little.

I stepped outside, the warmth of the morning sun brushing against my skin, but the tension in the air was distinct.

Judy was in the front yard, sweeping the fallen leaves into a neat pile. She worked with quiet determination, her movements fluid and graceful, with her back turned to the house. The broom brushed rhythmically against the stone path, a soft, persistent sound that broke the stillness of the morning.

My boys were standing near the gate, their eyes wide with confusion as they watched her. They didn’t say anything, just stood there, a silent audience to the strange