Chapter 4: The Cellar Sanctuary
The entrance to the old wine cellar was hidden beneath the pantry floor, a relic of the estate’s historic construction. Luca carried Lily down the narrow brick steps, his knees bearing the sudden strain with quiet resolve.
The cellar was dry, lined with aged oak barrels and fortified with reinforced steel doors behind a false wall. Luca set Lily down on a cushioned bench and turned on a battery-operated lantern.
"Stay here until you hear Marcus’s voice," Luca whispered, crouching to meet her gaze. "No matter what sounds you hear upstairs."
Lily pulled a small silver locket from beneath her collar, opening it to reveal a faded picture of her mother. "Mom told me before she went to the stars that you were the strongest man in the world. She said you would always wake up when I needed you."
Luca felt a lump tighten in his throat. For months, lying in that wheelchair, pretending to be dazed by sedatives, his daughter’s whispered stories at his bedside had been the single anchor keeping his mind sharp and his spirit unbroken.
"Your mother was right," Luca murmured, kissing her forehead. "I'm going to finish this so we can finally go home."
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He sealed the vault door from the outside, setting the timer lock.
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