Adrian came home before Lucas’s bedtime almost every evening. At first he stood beside the nursery door. Then he began changing diapers, badly. He learned how Lucas preferred to be held after feeding and discovered that walking near the eastern windows calmed him during storms.

Hannah watched the transformation cautiously. Adrian remained a dangerous man. His legitimate businesses included ports, trucking companies, and warehouses across New York.

The darker part of his empire existed in whispers — illegal gambling rooms, protection deals, and men who vanished after challenging him. Hannah never asked for details.

But she saw the price of his world each time an armed convoy left the estate.

One snowy evening, she found Adrian alone in the library, staring at a photograph of Isabel.

“She was beautiful,” Hannah said.