Chapter 7 - A Fragile Connection
Back in Greenwich, the storm of litigation raging in Manhattan seemed a million miles away. William spent every waking moment trying to bridge the vast gap between his world of immense privilege and Maya’s world of quiet fear.
For the first few days, Maya refused to sleep in her large bed. William would walk into her room at night and find her curled up on the rug inside her closet, holding her wilted daisies and a blanket, used to hiding from Beatrice’s violent outbursts.
Instead of ordering her out, William brought his own blanket down to the floor, sitting right outside the open closet door in his suit trousers, working on his laptop while she slept.
"Why are you sitting there?" Maya asked quietly one night, her small hazel eyes peeking out from beneath the blanket.
"Because I want to make sure the monsters know they have to go through me first," William said gently, looking up from his screen.
Maya looked at him for a long time. "Did you know my mommy?"
William closed his laptop, setting it aside. "I loved your mommy very much, Maya. She was the bravest, kindest person I ever met. She loved music, and she loved light... and every time I look at you, I see her smiling back at me."
"She told me about a prince," Maya whispered, her voice getting drowsy. "She said he lived in a big castle, but she had to go away so he could keep building his towers. Was that you?"
May you like
William swallowed back a lump of pure agony. Clara had spent her entire life protecting his reputation, even while living in hardship, turning his abandonment into a bedtime fairy tale to shield her daughter's heart.
"I wasn't a prince, Maya," William said softly, reaching out to stroke her dark hair. "I was just a fool who took too long to find his way home. But I'm here now. And I'm never leaving."
