Chapter 9 - THE DUST AND THE CANVAS
A faint draft of cool, preserved air rushed out of the room, carrying the distinct scent of dried lavender, old paper, and aged oil paints.
The sitting room was bathed in dim crimson light filtering through closed velvet drapes. Sheeted furniture stood like white ghosts in the shadows, and thick layers of dust covered the polished hardwood floors. But as the sunlight from the corridor poured into the room through the open doorway, it illuminated the far wall.
Hanging prominently in the center of the dark room was a massive, unfinished oil canvas.
Dante stepped across the threshold, his polished leather shoes leaving clear footprints in the fine dust on the floorboards. Sophia, completely unfazed by the ominous atmosphere, slipped past his leg and walked right into the center of the room, her small shoes clicking softly.
Rosa stood at the doorway, her hands clasped tightly against her white apron, torn between her duty to stay back and her maternal urge to protect her child.
Dante stopped in front of the massive canvas.
The painting depicted the grand corridor of the Falcone estate as it looked years ago, rendered in rich, warm strokes of oil paint. But what caught everyone's attention was the bottom right corner of the painting—an unfinished figure of a young girl standing near the very door they had just opened, wearing a lavender floral dress remarkably similar to the one Sophia was wearing right now.
Dante’s breath caught in his throat. His gray eyes widened in shock as he stared at the canvas, his mind racing through years of hidden history.
Sophia walked right up to the painting, tilting her head back as she examined the unfinished figure.
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"Look, Mr. Falcone," Sophia said softly, pointing her tiny finger at the canvas. "She left her picture for you."
Dante dropped to one knee in the dust, his expensive black trousers sinking into the faded carpet as he looked closely at the lower corner of the painting. There, written in faint, delicate cursive strokes of purple paint, was a single line of text that had been hidden in the dark for three long years.
