Chapter 8 - A New Dawn
Six months later, the autumn leaves painted the streets of the suburbs in shades of amber and gold.
Rebecca sat on the back porch of a sunlit, modest cottage overlooking a quiet lake miles away from the Whitmore estate. In her arms cradled Maya—her six-month-old daughter, whose bright, healthy eyes looked up at her with absolute trust.
The sliding glass door opened, and Theo walked out, carrying a small cardboard box filled with science books and a brand-new spectrometer his uncle Marcus had sent him.
“Mom, the weather station outside is calibrated wrong by two degrees,” Theo announced seriously, adjusting his glasses.
Rebecca smiled, resting her chin against the top of Maya’s soft head. “Is that right, scientist? Do you need to fix it?”
May you like
“Yes,” Theo said, a rare, bright grin breaking across his face. “And then I’m going to teach Maya how levers work.”
Rebecca watched him set his equipment up on the wooden table, the lingering shadows of the past dissolved entirely by the warmth of the afternoon sun.
