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Chapter 8 - The Final PromiseI walked into the room. Elena's eyes were open, clear but incredibly tired. Sophie was asleep, her head resting on her mother's arm.

"Michael," Elena whispered.

I sat beside her, taking her cold hand. "I'm here. David is gone. You're safe."

"I know," she smiled faintly. "Thomas always said you were the strongest of you both. I’m sorry I hid her from you for so long. I was just so terrified."

"You did what you had to do to protect her," I said, fighting back tears.

"Promise me, Michael," she gasped, her breathing shallow. "Promise me you won't let her feel empty. Don't let your world of money turn her cold. Be a father to her."

"I swear it on my life, Elena."

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She looked down at sleeping Sophie, stroked her blonde pigtails one last time, and closed her eyes.

The long, high-pitched tone of the heart monitor filled the room. Sophie woke up, screaming for her mother. I held my niece tightly against my chest, crying for the first time in twenty years.

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