Chapter 2: The Chain on the Door
I knocked.
The coughing stopped.
Silence.
Then small footsteps crossed the floor.
The door opened three inches.
A pair of gray-green eyes looked up at me from behind a security chain.
The same eyes I'd seen on the security footage.
The same eyes I saw in the mirror every morning.
"Who are you?" she asked.
I couldn't speak for a moment.
"My name is Luca," I said.
"I think your mother knows me."
The little girl studied my face the way children do — without pretending.
"Mommy said never to open the door for strangers."
"She's right."
"But you don't look like a stranger."
Before I could answer, Elena's voice came from somewhere behind her.
"Sofia." Weak.
Careful.
"Come away from the door."
The girl — Sofia — didn't move.
"Mommy, he says his name is Luca."
The silence that followed lasted too long.
When Elena finally spoke again, her voice had changed completely.
"Tell him…
tell him I don't know anyone by that name."
Sofia looked back at me.
She was six years old.
But she already knew her mother was lying.
I pressed my hand flat against the doorframe.
"Elena." My voice was low.
"I saw the hospital notice."
Nothing.
"I know treatment can't be delayed."
May you like
A long pause.
Then the chain slowly slid free.
