Chapter 6 - The Return to Long Island
When Dominic and Elena walked through the front doors of the Long Island mansion the next morning, the staff looked like they had seen a ghost.
Mrs. Higgins, the elderly head housekeeper, nearly dropped a silver tray. "Miss Vasquez?"
"She's back, Mrs. Higgins," Dominic announced, taking off his coat and handing it to Marco, who was trying hard to hide a grin. "And she is no longer just a housekeeper. She is the director of household operations and family care. Her word in this house is second only to mine."
Elena gave Mrs. Higgins a warm, reassuring smile. "It's good to be back, Martha."
Without missing a beat, Elena walked straight toward the grand staircase. Dominic followed close behind, his heart beating fast.
They reached the second floor and stopped outside the nursery. The door was closed. Elena didn't knock. She simply turned the brass knob and pushed it open.
Lucia, Valentina, and Mia were sitting in the middle of the floor, staring blankly at a box of uncolored picture books.
When Elena stepped into the room, three pairs of dark, solemn eyes snapped upward.
For a second, there was dead silence.
Then, Mia dropped her crayon, let out a high-pitched squeal of pure joy, and scrambled across the floor as fast as her small legs could carry her.
"Miss Elena!" Mia cried out, throwing her arms around Elena’s knees.
Lucia and Valentina scrambled up right behind her, rushing over to bury their faces in Elena’s skirt.
Elena dropped to her knees, wrapping her arms around all three little girls, laughing as tears welled up in her eyes. "I missed you girls so much. I told you I'd come back."
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Dominic stood in the doorway, watching the scene unfold. A lump formed in his throat, heavy and painful. He felt like an outsider peeking into a family he desperately wanted to belong to.
Then, Elena looked up over the girls' shoulders, catching Dominic’s gaze. She didn't say a word, but she extended her free hand toward him, palm open.
