Chapter 10 - The Family Found
One Year Later.
The penthouse in Seattle was no longer silent.
As I sat at my home office desk, reviewing the latest quarterly reports for Sterling Technologies, a loud crash echoed from the living room, followed by high-pitched, joyous giggling.
I smiled, closing my laptop.
I walked out into the massive living room. Sarah, looking radiantly healthy and beautiful, was laughing on the floor, surrounded by building blocks. Lily was running circles around the expensive modern art sculptures, chasing a golden retriever puppy we had adopted a month ago.
The cold, empty box of glass and steel had been transformed into a home. There were finger paintings on the refrigerator. Toys scattered across the Persian rugs. Life.
Lily saw me and sprinted over, launching herself into my arms. I caught her, spinning her around as she shrieked with laughter.
"Uncle David!" she smiled, holding up a crude drawing of a stick-figure family. "I made this for you."
I looked at the drawing. Three stick figures. Me, Sarah, and Lily. Holding hands.
"It's beautiful, sweetheart," I said, my throat tightening with emotion.
Sarah stood up, walking over and resting her head against my shoulder. We weren't romantic—we were something deeper. We were survivors, bound together by the memory of the man we both loved, dedicated to raising the beautiful child he left behind.
I looked down at Lily's feet. She was wearing a brand-new pair of pink sneakers.
"Hey," Lily said, her face suddenly turning very serious. "I still owe you forty dollars for my old shoes."
May you like
I laughed loudly, the sound echoing off the high ceilings. I knelt down and tapped her little nose.
"Lily," I said, looking at the family that had saved my life. "You already paid me back. A million times over."
