Page 86 of Code Name: Grit

“She did well by you,” he said when I finished, his voice soft with admiration. “Amelia raised you to be extraordinary despite the impossible circumstances.”

“She did what she had to do.”

“To protect both of us,” he said, surprising me.

I tilted my head, questioning.

“Your mother’s disappearance protected more than just you,” Cassio explained. “The world we lived in didn’t allow for the choices we would’ve otherwise made.”

“You could have walked away from it.”

A sad smile crossed Cassio’s face. “I wanted to. Every day.” He looked down at his hands. “I never wanted this life, Lumi. I was born into it, trapped by family expectations and obligations that felt like chains.”

“So what changed?” I asked. “Why the cooperation with law enforcement now?”

“Age brings perspective,” he said simply. “And priorities shift. I started questioning everything about the path I was on.”

His eyes met mine, filled with a longing that seemed to reach across decades. “If I could’ve, I would have disappeared with your mother. Lived simply, anonymously, anywhere in the world. It wouldn’t have mattered where, as long as we were together.”

“But you couldn’t?”

When he shook his head and his eyes filled with tears that he blinked away, I knew I needed to change the subject. “I always wondered where my mother came up with Chiara,” I said. “She said it was a family name, but I couldn’t find anyone even several generations back.”

“Chiara,”he repeated. “That was my grandmother’s name.”

“Oh, um, wow.” I hadn’t expected it to be connected to his family. I was stunned.

His eyes softened. “I used to tell your mother about her. My grandmother was very special to me. She had this warmth about her that made everyone feel safe.”

“So it was a link to your family, to you,” I said, understanding dawning.

“A gift I never knew she gave me,” he said quietly. “Until now.”

I felt Grit shift beside me, his hand finding mine. A wordless question passed between us.

“I’d like a few minutes alone with him,” I said softly.

Concern flickered in his eyes. “You sure?”

I nodded, and after a moment, he stood.

“I’ll be right outside,” he told me, his gaze shifting to Cassio with a clear warning before he left.

Once the door closed behind him, the room felt different—more intimate, more charged with the weight of our shared blood.

“He loves you,”Cassio observed.

“Yes.” The simple admission felt right.

“Good. You deserve someone who will protect you even from me if necessary.”

“Is it necessary?” I asked, meeting his gaze directly.

“No.” His answer came without hesitation. “I would die before hurting you, Chiara. Lumi,” he corrected himself. “You’re the child I never knew I wanted until it was too late.”

“It’s not too late,” I heard myself say, the words surprising me as much as him. “Not if we don’t want it to be.”

His expression shifted, revealing a vulnerability I hadn’t expected from such a powerful man. “I would like to know my daughter. If she’ll let me.”