Chapter 9 - The Rose Garden
Six months later.
The winter snow had completely melted, replaced by a brilliant spring landscape of green lawns, blooming cherry blossoms, and vibrant red roses across the estate.
The east wing guest cottage had been fully renovated. Fresh white paint, wide porch swings, flower boxes bursting with purple petunias, and open windows letting in the warm, fragrant summer breeze.
I stood on the stone pathway leading to the cottage, wearing a casual linen shirt and rolled-up trousers, holding a small wooden box under my arm.
From the front porch of the cottage, little Nora—now four years old, her hair tied in two bouncing pigtails, her hands completely healed without a single scar—came running down the wooden steps.
"Mr. Luca! Mr. Luca!" she shouted happily, her red sneakers squeaking against the stone path.
I caught her effortlessly, lifting her into the air as she giggled, before setting her down on the grass.
"Look what I made!" Nora announced proudly, holding up a sheet of thick drawing paper.
It was a crayon drawing of a large green house with a bright yellow sun above it. In the center of the lawn stood three figures drawn with thick black lines: a woman with long dark hair, a tiny girl wearing a pink dress, and a tall man wearing a suit with a big heart drawn on his chest.
At the top, written in wobbly, four-year-old handwriting with the help of a tutor, were the words: OUR HOME.
I looked down at the drawing, a genuine, deep warmth filling my chest that no corporate merger or billion-dollar acquisition had ever given me.
"This is the best painting I have ever seen, Nora," I said sincerely. "I am going to frame this and put it right above my desk in the study."
"Really?" Nora’s eyes sparkled with delight.
"Really," I promised.
Elena stepped out onto the porch, wearing a beautiful floral summer dress, looking healthy, radiant, and full of life. She walked down the steps, holding two glasses of cold iced tea.
"Nora, don't bother Mr. Luca," Elena smiled gently, handing me a glass. "He has important work to do."
"This is the most important work I have all day," I smiled, taking the glass and setting the wooden box on the porch table.
"What's in the box?" Nora asked, curiously peering over the edge of the table.
I opened the lid of the wooden box. Inside rested a small, handcrafted silver snow globe. Inside the glass sphere was a miniature model of the east wing cottage, surrounded by tiny, floating golden glitter instead of snow.
"I had this made for you, Nora," I said, lifting the silver globe and placing it gently into her hands. "So that wherever you go in this world, whenever you look at this, you will always remember one thing."
May you like
Nora held the heavy glass sphere carefully, looking up at me with her big brown eyes. "What thing?"
"That this is your home," I said, looking from Nora to Elena. "And nobody—no matter who they are—can ever take it away from you again."
