Chapter 23 - Daphne and Luca
Daphne did not love Luca immediately.
Good.
Real children do not owe montage emotions.
At first:
Curious.
Then annoyed.
“He cries when I’m reading.”
“He is a newborn.”
“He does it on purpose.”
“He cannot coordinate his hands.”
“He can coordinate screaming.”
Fair.
She also feared what his existence meant.
If I spent an hour soothing him:
“Do you still read with me?”
If a package arrived from Miranda’s lawyer regarding infant schedule:
“Are you going there?”
If I said:
“Luca is with Miranda Saturday.”
Daphne stiffened.
“Then she sees you?”
Sometimes exchanges were handled through a neutral professional or caregiver to maintain no-contact boundaries.
“No.”
We protected that.
I did not make Daphne accompany me to custody transitions.
Did not use her as sibling proof.
Did not say:
Miranda is still Luca’s mother, so you have to respect her.
Daphne had no obligation to rehabilitate Miranda for Luca’s sake.
Likewise, Luca would not grow up being told:
Your mother is evil because she hurt your sister.
He would receive age-appropriate truth later.
At six months, Luca smiled at Daphne before he smiled reliably at me.
She became smug.
“He likes me best.”
“Impossible.”
“I’m prettier.”
Probably.
At one year, she learned how to make him laugh by pretending to sneeze.
Siblinghood emerged through repetition.
No biology speech.
No heir.
Just noise in my house.
May you like
Good noise.
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