On the couch sat Marisol Bennett, the housekeeper who had worked in his home for nearly a year. Still dressed in her simple black-and-white uniform, she held a guitar in her lap. She wasn’t playing absentmindedly. She played with intention—carefully, tenderly—like someone who remembered another version of herself from before she polished marble floors and dusted chandeliers.
Near the tall bookshelf stood Daniel Harper, Ashton’s longtime driver and most trusted employee. His arms were crossed loosely as he observed the scene with calm assurance, as though he had known all along that this moment would unfold.
No one noticed Ashton standing there.
His briefcase slipped from his hand and struck the hardwood floor with a sharp, echoing thud.
The music stopped.
For illustrative purposes only
A Daughter’s Embrace
Clara froze for half a heartbeat. Then her face lit up.
“Daddy! You’re home!”
She ran straight toward him.
Ashton bent down instinctively and lifted her into his arms. Her small body pressed warmly against his chest. He inhaled the faint scent of strawberry shampoo and sunshine clinging to her hair. Her arms wrapped tightly around his neck, as though she hadn’t seen him in months.
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