Chapter 3 - The Ghost's Secret
Dante looked at the fearless three-year-old standing in front of him.
"I am lonely, little one," Dante admitted softly, his deep voice stripped entirely of its usual lethal edge.
Sophia smiled brightly. She didn't hesitate. She lifted her small, fragile arms toward him.
"You need a hug," Sophia declared warmly.
She stepped forward, wrapping her tiny arms around his thick, tattooed neck. Dante closed his dark eyes, completely overwhelmed by the pure, uncorrupted innocence of the gesture. He gently wrapped his massive arms around her, hugging her back.
But as Sophia rested her chin on his broad shoulder, she raised her small hand and gently touched his cheek.
"The lady in the locked room told me," Sophia whispered directly into his ear.
Dante’s entire body went completely, paralyzingly rigid. The cinematic warmth of the moment instantly evaporated into an apocalyptic chill.
He slowly pulled back, his large hands resting gently but firmly on Sophia’s small shoulders. His dark eyes were wide with sheer, suffocating shock.
"What did you just say?" Dante asked, his voice a low, vibrating rumble of disbelief.
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"The lady," Sophia repeated innocently, pointing a tiny finger toward the west wing of the massive mansion. "She cries all day. She said you used to smile a lot before the bad man took her away."
👉 Dante’s heart violently slammed against his ribs, because the "locked room" was supposed to be completely empty.
