Chapter 5 - The Final Goodbye
Elena passed away on a Tuesday morning, peacefully, while Sophie was at school. I was the one holding her hand.
"Protect her," Elena whispered, her eyes turning toward the window. "Don't let the world make her cold."
"I promise," I said, my throat tightening.
Telling Sophie was the hardest thing I had ever done. We went to the lake—the place her mother had always talked about visiting but never had the time. I sat her down, her little hands gripped in mine.
She didn't cry at first. She just stared at the water.
"Is she with the angels?" she finally asked.
"Yes," I said.
"Will I see her again?"
May you like
"I think so, Sophie. But for now, you’re with me. Forever."
She turned and buried her face in my chest, sobbing. I held her, rocking back and forth, knowing that the man I used to be—the cold, empty billionaire—had died right there on that bench.
