That evening, the Castle Estate was quiet. Emily was sitting in a wheelchair on the veranda, watching the sunset over the desert. The twins were being doted on by a team of nannies, but Lucy was right where she belonged—sitting at her mother’s feet.
Alexander came out, carrying three cups of cocoa. He handed one to Emily and one to Lucy.
“You saved us,” Emily whispered, looking at the man who had once been a boy she loved.
“No,” Alexander said, sitting on the edge of the railing, looking at his daughter. “I was a man lost in a storm for twenty years. A little girl with two cans of milk and more courage than I ever had… she’s the one who saved me.”
Lucy looked up at the stars, which were finally visible now that the clouds had cleared. She reached out and took both of their hands, linking the past to the future.
The hunger was gone. The cold was a memory. For the first time in her life, Lucy didn’t have to worry about tomorrow. Because today, for the first time, she was finally home.
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