Emilio began planning lunches before anyone asked.

Adrian noticed every change without commenting. He returned from his offices earlier, telling himself he wanted updates from Dr. Bennett — then stayed beside Lucas’s crib long after the doctor left.

He began eating at home. Some evenings he paused in the hallway when the smell of bread reached him. Isabel had once told him a house should smell as if a family lived inside it.

He never told Hannah that. He only watched her carry Lucas through the mansion, correcting guards, encouraging staff, and speaking to Adrian without the fear everyone else showed.

Two weeks after Hannah arrived, Lucas slept five uninterrupted hours. When she stepped from the nursery, Adrian waited outside in his dark overcoat.

“He’s stronger,” Hannah said.