flash
Vivian Carter, now Dr. Vivian Carter, stood in the bustling corridor of St. Jude’s Community Clinic, her white coat flapping against her knees. Her stethoscope hung around her neck like a protective talisman. On her desk sat a framed photograph: a little boy with dark, chaotic hair and eyes the exact shade of slate-gray rain over Lake Michigan. / Chapter 6 / 10

Chapter 6 - Building Blocks and Broken TrustThe transition wasn't a fairy tale. Trust, once shattered into a thousand jagged pieces, didn't glue back together overnight just because a billionaire bought a house on Maple Street.

Over the next three months, Adrian proved himself in ways Vivian never expected.

He didn't try to buy Leo’s affection with expensive toys. Instead, he showed up at the clinic every day at five o'clock with two coffees and a bag of pretzels. He sat on the floor of Vivian’s living room, building clumsy Lego towers that Leo promptly knocked down with gleeful shrieks. He learned how to make macaroni and cheese without burning it, and he listened—truly listened—when Vivian vented about the exhausting politics of a community clinic.

One Saturday afternoon, while building a towering plastic castle, Leo looked up at Adrian with those gray eyes.

"Are you going to stay forever?" Leo asked.

Adrian swallowed hard, glancing up to find Vivian watching them from the kitchen doorway, holding a dish towel in her hands.

"As long as your mom lets me," Adrian answered honestly, his voice thick with emotion.

Leo nodded solemnly, satisfied with the answer. "Okay. But if you leave again, I'm feeding your shoes to the dog."

Adrian laughed—a deep, booming sound that filled the small apartment with a warmth it had never known before. Vivian felt a small, reluctant smile tug at the corner of her lips.

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