Silvio didn’t wait for an answer. He knelt down in front of Mia. Her small face was red and blotchy. Her hair was plastered to her forehead. She was still wearing her swimsuit from the morning. They had been at the pool. They had been happy. Then they had been hungry.
“Mia,” he said gently. “When did they lock you in the car?”
She sniffled. “After lunch. Mommy said we had to wait while they went inside. Then she didn’t come back.”
“How long?”
She shrugged. “A long time. Ethan cried. I told him to be quiet. I told him it would be okay.”
Silvio’s chest tightened. He looked at Ethan. The boy was limp in the bodyguard’s arms. His lips were cracked. His skin was hot to the touch. Heat exhaustion. Maybe worse.
“Call an ambulance,” Silvio said. “Now.”
One of the bodyguards pulled out his phone. Silvio stood up. He turned to Lucinda.
“You left them in a car. In August. For hours.”
Lucinda’s composure cracked. “It wasn’t supposed to be hours. We were coming back. We just got distracted.”
“Distracted by what?”
She didn’t answer.
Grant spoke instead. “It was a mistake. We forgot. It happens.”
Silvio crossed the room in three steps. He grabbed Grant by the collar and slammed him against the wall. The valet kiosk rattled. Tickets fell like snow.
“You forgot two children in a hot car. And your first thought when you saw them was disappointment. You wanted them dead.”
Grant’s eyes widened. “That’s not true.”
“Then why did you say ‘They’re actually still alive?’”
Grant didn’t answer.
Lucinda stepped forward. “Silvio, let him go.”
“Why?”
“Because if you hurt him, it will be your word against his. And he has lawyers.”
Silvio laughed. It was a cold sound. “He has lawyers. I have the truth.”
He released Grant. Grant slumped against the wall. He was shaking.
Silvio turned to his sister. “Why did you do it? They’re your children.”
Lucinda’s face twisted. “They’re not my children.”
The room went silent.
Mia looked up. Her small face was confused. “Mommy?”
Lucinda didn’t look at her. “They’re not mine. They’re my husband’s. From his first marriage. I never wanted them.”
Silvio stared at her. “You married him knowing he had children.”
“I married him knowing he had money. The children were part of the package. I thought I could handle it. I was wrong.”
