Chapter 10 - The Happy Ending
The sun was beginning to set, painting the coastline in brilliant shades of gold, amber, and violet. The sky stretched out endlessly, wide and clear, mirroring the peace that had finally settled into our lives.
Emiliano ran up the wooden steps of the porch, panting happily, holding out his scraped knee with a look of theatrical bravery. "Mommy, I fell down, but I didn't cry!"
I knelt down, pulling a clean wipe and a colorful dinosaur bandage from my pocket—the same pocket where I always kept a spare toy train just in case. I gently cleaned the small scratch on his knee and kissed it softly, exactly where it hurt.
"That's my brave boy," I whispered, smiling as I applied the dinosaur sticker.
He threw his little arms around my neck, burying his face in my hair, smelling of sunshine, salt air, and pure, unfiltered joy.
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"Mommy," he whispered into my ear, his voice steady and strong and completely unafraid. "Can we play trains tomorrow?"
"Every day, baby," I said, holding him close as the golden light enveloped us completely. "Every single day."
