I sit back, stretching my arms high above my head, trying to remove the pain in my upper shoulders as Maria comes by and places another plate of food in front of me.

“Oh, Maria, really, I am okay. You don’t need to look after me.” She is no longer the housekeeper, but our full time Nona, taking on a grandparent role and spending time with us all at home with no expectation of her having to cook or clean, even though she still does.

“Hush, Bella. If I don’t feed you, you don’t eat!” she huffs out at me, before kissing the top of my head and walking back out to the kitchen. I love her, I really do.

I grab a cookie from the plate in front of me and look at the mess I have created. I have books and notebooks, along with highlighters and pens, all strewn from one end of the dining table to the other. You cannot see the table from the mess.

I put my head back down and after another 30 minutes, I am done. Proud of my efforts, I save my document and smile.

I did it!

Dante believed in me every step of the way, knowing that I really wanted to make something of myself. He has supported me through it all. Ensuring I have everything I need; I get driven to and from the university, he lets me use Leo for case studies, and provides many stress relievers along the way.

As I close my laptop and tidy up the papers, I look around the house and am puzzled with how quiet it is. No Maria. No Leo. And Dante is nowhere to be seen. In fact, I haven't seen him for hours, yet I thought he said he would be home all day today.

I decide to leave the rest of the packing up for later and stand, stretching my legs.

“Leo?” I call out, to no response.

“Dante?” I yell, but hear nothing.