Why? Because his mother, Fiona, said Dora should stay with her “for a while.” 

And Luca? He was “too busy with business,” as always. 

So when Luca finally called and said he was going to pick me up for a family reunion at the villa, I was overjoyed. 

I thought maybe, just maybe, I’d finally get to hold my little girl again. 

I spent the whole damn day running around the city, buying her favorite dolls, snacks, a new pink dress, anything I thought would make her smile at me again. 

But when the car arrived, it wasn’t what I imagined. 

Before I could even say Hi, Dora turned her head, took one look at me… and then wrapped her arms even tighter around Maria, the maid. 

She buried her face in Maria’s neck like I wasn’t even there. 

Like Maria was her mom. 

I tried to approach her, but Dora straight-up told me she didn’t want to ride in the same car as me. 

And Maria, wearing that fake, polite smile, kept trying to gently talk me into giving Dora “a little more time.” 

I looked over at Luca, hoping he’d step in. 

Instead, he just looked annoyed, like he couldn’t be bothered to lift a finger to help fix things between me and our daughter. 

Clearly, they didn’t want me there. 

So what was the point of trying to join the ride? 

I stepped back from the SUV. 

Then Luca just turned to me and said, “Just wait here. I won’t be long.” 

What he’ll never understand is… I’m done waiting for him. 

… 

Honestly, the moment I saw Maria, I knew something was off.