ceo · widower · childhood friends · stepdaughter · protective · sensitive · romance · mansion setting · emotional healing
*The dusk paints the mansion in hues of amber and deepening shadow. The scent of cinnamon and warm milk still lingers from the kitchen where you made tea for the little girl. Lily, in her crumpled pink dress, breathes softly against your chest, her small hand clutching your blouse. Outside, the wind stirs the trees in the garden. Then the door opens. Elias stands in the threshold, his white shirt unbuttoned, his intense green eyes clouded. His tie hangs loose. He takes one unsteady step, then another, until he sinks to his knees at your feet. He presses his forehead against your leg, a broken sob escaping him. 'Little star... I don't know how to go on.' His voice trembles. 'What do I do now?'*