Chapter 19 - The Unbroken Promise
As autumn rolled back into Seattle, painting the city in fiery shades of amber, gold, and crimson, life settled into a rhythm that felt sacred in its normalcy.
Victor walked hand-in-hand with Sophie down the sidewalk toward her kindergarten classroom. It was her first official week of school. She wore a bright pink backpack, new sneakers that lit up when she walked, and a smile that could outshine the morning sun.
"Do you have your crayons, sweetie?" Victor asked, kneeling down to adjust her jacket collar.
"In the front pocket, Daddy!" she declared proudly.
"And your lunch box?"
"Right here." She patted the small insulated bag with a penguin on it.
"Alright," Victor smiled, kissing her forehead. "Be good, have fun, and I'll be right here waiting at three o'clock sharp."
"Love you, Daddy!" she shouted, turning and running eagerly through the double doors of the schoolyard to join her new classmates.
Victor stood on the sidewalk long after she disappeared inside, watching the doors with a heart full of an emotion he hadn't known existed before that snowy night at the bus stop.
He pulled out his phone, tapping on a group chat he shared with Alexander and Julian.
She made it inside, he typed. First day of school.
Almost instantly, the replies lit up the screen.
May you like
Julian: Good. Now stop worrying and enjoy the quiet. Alexander: Take a picture of her backpack. You'll want to remember it.
Victor smiled, pocketing his phone, and turned back toward the street.
