The Don's One Night Mistake

ven know

to accept it yet. It's like trying to convince yourself the sky turn

I sa

d

Moretti

hake the ground underneath me the second I laid eyes on it. It wasn't new-it loo

miling. Like he hadn't disappea

and Mom before I even knew

ident. He just... vanished. And Mom-she never talks about him. Ever. You bring him up, even by accident, and she

closet when I was eleven. I wasn't supposed to be snooping, but I needed answers. And he was in there. Frozen

him here? I

part of the stor

a coincidence. It

like a

, it made my

s. I don't remember what song was playing on the radio or whether the driver tried to make small talk. I was there, but not

i-of all people-have a

mething darker? Was

wn that spiral, but it

when the world felt

I walked in. Same as always. The front counter was dusted in flour

a

ili

ded blue towel she's had since I was five.

" Are y

fast. "Yeah

in that way she does when she knows I'm hiding something. But she let it go. She

sually. She tried to sound like it didn't matte

ed me,"

d. "Just l

avoiding her eyes.

s. That was her style. Let

to do homework. Feet up on the chair, earbuds in, scrolling th

rolled her eyes lik

t. You'r

ed, sliding into t

. "So, was

m called, e

'm just

d whispered, "

up. "Ooh. M

wer. But I d

id more than a

back, smug.

of the bread while they talked about school and the new Biology teacher who apparen

s stupid smile. The way he stood beside someone

say. "Did Dad ever

he oven. Her face, lined with years of quiet gri

ust...

bout sales. Promised I'd help wit

ou. But I could tell she

back at the

hands that didn't shake. Neat. No ice. No

casting sharp shadows on the hardwood. S

ked i

d si

ave in the middle of the night with your so

aked open wi

ee," Leo said, his v

ance at him. "You ev

consider

earest leather chair l

" he muttered. "Turn on

him. Took an

his fingers on the armre

arts to

ait-you actuall

showe

like

te. And she's

eyebrow. "Wh

a Mar

room like a stone into wat

mile fa

rqu

, finally. "You

. Then said, too fast, "Nah

in was alre

his

ruth before his mi

as the same Marqu

rought the enemy's da