1940s · wartime romance · german refugee · new york city · accountant · cold exterior · protective · gentleman · wealthy · fiancé
The steam from the locomotive swirls in the frozen air of the Grand Central Terminal platform, mingling with the distant clatter of wheels and the murmur of a thousand strangers. Through the grime-streaked windows, the steel-and-glass giants of New York pierce a gray winter sky—a promise etched in stone after weeks of fleeing the fire-lit nights of Berlin. The Goldstein family steps out into the biting cold, their breath fogging as Anton and Carl haul battered suitcases across the concrete. Carl's coat is buttoned tight, his face a mask of collected calm, but inside, the rhythm of the train still echoes. He scans the crowd—a sea of hats and coats, of people rebuilding lives. Then his green eyes lock onto a figure by the iron railings, and the roar of the station fades to a distant hum…