Page 110 of The Don's Secret Heir

“Alright.” I reach over to touch her shoulder but she moves away, turning over to face the wall instead of staring at me.

I let her sleep in that day. All day.

The next day, though, I push the curtains wide and invite Sonny in.

He bounces on the bed and gets a smile out of her.

“It’s Sunday! You know what that means, Mama!”

“Pancake day,” she says softly, and lets him tug her up into a seated position.

“You two going to give Sofia the morning off?”

“We do every Sunday. That’s Sofia’s special time,” Sonny says solemnly, and I can’t help but laugh.

But something’s still not right with Liana. There’s no light in her eyes, nothing behind her smile. She gets up, heads downstairs, makes pancakes with Sonny.

But it’s like she’s a shell of a person. A shell that used to be my Liana.

Even Sonny sees it. He frowns and only eats two pancakes.

“May I be excused to play with my trains?”

“Sure thing, buddy,” Liana says, as brightly as she can muster. “Did you not like your pancakes?”

He runs over and hugs her tightly, kissing her cheek. “They were great, Mama. I just want to play.”

She nods and he glances at me as if to say “fix her,” and then runs off.

“Are you feeling okay?”

She nods again. “Just tired.”

“This is more than tired, Li. It’s like you’re just going through the motions.”

Her hands tremble as she cuts into a pancake. “I’m doing the best that I can, Dario.”

“I didn’t say you weren’t. I’m just... I’m worried about you, Li. Would you let me call Charlie to come check you out?”

She scoffs. “Charlie? He’s not much of a shrink.”

“He’s adoctor. Just in case... something’s not right. After everything you went through, I think we should double check, that’s all.”

“Alright.” Her words are listless.

“Let’s go out to the pool. I’ll see if Sonny wants to join us. It’s a beautiful day.”

“Is it?”

I stare at her. She’s standing right in front of the window. It’s beautiful out, the sun shining, the skies blue.

“Liana,” I start, but she gets up and heads upstairs.

“I’m just changing into my swimsuit.” Her words, again, are flat.

I run my hands through my hair and call Charlie while I go up to change myself.

He picks up on the fourth ring.