Could you handle living forever, knowing you would watch your friends grow old and die?<br><br>These are questions newly minted Doctor Marco Sartori d’Argenzio must face when he and his partner Danilo Rosati celebrate Marco’s completed residency and Danilo’s most recent PhD with a vacation at Marco’s father’s home in the Duchy of Aragoni. There Marco learns about his family’s legacy: his father is more than two thousand years old, and he can expect to live just as long.<br><br>Marco inherits his uncle’s title amidst adventure and danger, but it breaks his heart to realize that he’ll live only to see the man he’s loved for a decade grow old and die. However, there is hope: Danilo is studying the unique DNA of Marco’s family in hops of discovering the secret -- because Danilo has no intention of leaving Marco alone for what could be forever.

The Path to Forever

“You’re starting to get that look about you again. This is a time for compartmentalizing, and we’re both good at that, so put a lid on it for now, please, and let’s go see Venice. You can do your mental problem solving later, okay?”


“Yeah,” he said. “I can do that.”


“I think we’ve spent enough time in this room for now,” Father said. “All of Venice awaits us, and it will be my pleasure to share it with you. We will speak in this room again, if you like, but you need time to digest all that you have heard.”


“Give us half an hour to shower and change,” I said, “and we’ll be at your disposal.”


We helped my father extinguish the candles in the room, then he led the way back up the steps, carrying the candelabrum with him. We took the elevator back down to the main floor where Paolo was waiting for us.


“Please show my guests to their suite,” Father said.


PAOLO NODDED AND said, “Follow me, Signori.”


Chapter 19