Chapter 2 - THE SILENT VOIDThe restaurant grew impossibly quiet as Edward Hale confessed his sin. The weight of his words hung heavier than the opulent chandelier above them. Abby watched as the refined, silver-haired man—a titan of the logistics industry—seemed to crumble before her eyes.
"She wasn't just a daughter," Edward whispered, his gaze unfocused. "She was my conscience. When her mother died, I buried myself in work. I thought money was the only language of love. I was wrong."
Sophia, with the bluntness only a five-year-old possesses, reached out and placed her small, warm hand over his. "You can just say sorry, Mr. Edward."
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"It’s not that simple, sweetheart," Edward replied, a single tear tracing a path through his weathered skin. "Some apologies are meant to be heard, not spoken."
Abby felt a strange, cold shiver. She realized Edward wasn't just a lonely man; he was a man waiting for an end he felt he deserved.
