Chapter 10 - Sunlight in the Square
Three years later.
Spring had arrived early in Westfield Square. The trees were lush with bright green leaves, and the sun shone warm and brilliant across the plaza. Children laughed around the central fountain, while pigeons flew beneath the clear blue sky.
Nathan sat on a wooden bench near the bronze sculpture, reading a newspaper. Clara sat beside him, leaning her head gently on his shoulder, her wedding ring catching the afternoon light.
A few yards away, Daniel was setting up a picnic blanket on the grass. Seven-year-old Maisie was running in circles around the fountain, holding the hand of three-year-old Rowan, who giggled hysterically as he tried to keep up with his older sister.
“Rowan, look out for the flowerbed!” Maisie called out, gently guiding her brother away from the tulips with practiced, protective care.
Nathan watched them, a peaceful smile playing on his lips.
Maisie stopped running, caught her breath, and looked over at the quiet corner near the trash can where the wet appliance box had sat four years ago. The box was long gone, replaced by a bed of bright yellow daffodils blooming in full health.
She walked over to Nathan, climbing onto the bench between him and Clara. She leaned her head against Nathan’s arm, looking up at the sky.
“Uncle Nathan?” she asked quietly.
“Yes, sweetie?”
“Is Rowan ever going to feel cold again?”
Nathan wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close, feeling the steady, warm rhythm of her heartbeat.
May you like
“Never, Maisie,” Nathan answered softly, his voice full of absolute certainty and infinite warmth. “The cold is gone forever.”
Maisie smiled, closed her eyes, and began to sing her soft, sweet song—no longer a desperate cry in the dark to keep a baby alive, but a joyful melody floating freely into the warm spring air, surrounding the family that love had built out of a cardboard box.
