“They will find that Elena’s apartment is an unfit environment for a Valenti heir.”

“She works part-time at a failing bookstore.”

“She lives in a dangerous neighborhood.”

“She has no health insurance.”

“She is a risk to the child’s well-being.”

“That is a lie,” I shouted into the phone.

My voice cracked, echoing in the tight space of the sedan.

“Elena,” Dominic’s voice came through, suddenly alert.

“Where are you?”

“She is in a safe place, Dominic,” Caterina said before I could answer.

“But not for long.”

“The machinery is already moving.”

“You cannot stop it.”

“Mother, if you touch them, I will burn this entire family to the ground,” Dominic said.

His voice was shaking with a rage I had never heard from him before.

“You have nothing to burn, Dominic,” Caterina said.

“Without the Valenti name, you are just a man with a pile of useless papers.”

“Goodbye, Elena.”

“I look forward to seeing my granddaughter soon.”

The line went dead.

A cold silence fell over the car.

I stared at the black screen of my phone.

“Marco,” I said, my voice shaking.