Chapter 10 - The Promise of Tomorrow
The evening of Lily’s seventh birthday was warm, the air filled with the sweet scent of the cherry blossoms that had finally bloomed in the courtyard.
The estate was filled with light. There were no security guards, no locked study doors, and no whispers of greed.
Tammy and Nick were there, sitting on the new wooden bench, laughing as they watched Lily blow out the candles on her pink birthday cake.
Sarah stood beside Daniel, her hand wrapped in his. The warmth of her palm was a solid, comforting reality against his skin.
"Make a wish, Lily!" Nick called out.
Lily closed her eyes tight, her small chest rising as she took a deep breath. She blew out all seven candles in one go, the smoke curling up into the warm evening air.
"What did you wish for?" Daniel asked, walking over to scoop her into his arms.
"I can't tell you, Daddy," Lily giggled, bopping him on the nose with her doll. "Otherwise it won't come true."
"I think I know what it was," Sarah said, walking over to join them, her arms wrapping around both Daniel and Lily.
Daniel looked at the two of them—the little girl he had caught from the air, and the woman who had helped him catch his breath.
For the first time in three years, he looked at his phone. There were no missed calls. There were no notifications from the bank. There was only the reflection of the three of them, standing together under the warm, golden light of the porch.
He had kept his promise to the dead.
May you like
And now, finally, he was ready to live for the living.
"Happy birthday, my little mouse," Daniel whispered into his daughter's hair, his voice no longer cold, but filled with the deep, unbreakable warmth of a father who was finally home.
