Chapter 32
Behind the plaster was a narrow wooden frame.
Victor brushed dust from an old brass handle.
Sofia stood beside him.
“Father sealed it from the outside,” she said.
“Did he know what was inside?”
“No.”
Victor looked at her.
“Are you certain?”
“No.”
He opened the door.
The room beyond smelled of dust and old wood.
The walls were pale blue.
A small crib stood beneath the window, draped with a yellowed sheet. Shelves held wooden toys, faded books, and a row of glass stars suspended on thin threads.
When Victor switched on the light, the stars turned slowly in the warm air.
My breath caught.
I had been here.
Not in a dream.
I remembered the corner beside the crib.
The painted moon near the ceiling.
The low chair where a woman had held me.
I stepped inside.
Lily watched the glass stars above us.
Sofia touched the crib rail.
“I chose this for Annie.”
Victor stood in the doorway.
“You prepared a nursery here?”
“Before Father took her.”
“Why didn’t I know?”
“You were away.”
“At school?”
Sofia shook her head.
“Father sent you away because he knew you would help me.”
Victor absorbed that silently.
Rosa moved toward the far wall.
“Elena hid something behind the star.”
A wooden star had been mounted above the crib.
Victor lifted it free.
Behind it was a small key.
May you like
Sofia took the key and knelt beside an old cedar chest.
The lock opened with a soft click.
