Chapter 4: A New Home That Didn't Feel Like Home

The journey from Willow Creek to New York was the longest trip Nadia had ever taken.

She sat quietly in the back seat of her father's SUV, hugging the small backpack Grandma Eleanor had packed for her.

Inside it were only a few things.

Her favorite storybooks.

A framed photograph of her and her mother.

The silver locket Grandma Eleanor had slipped into her hand.

And the pink ribbons Evelyn had promised to use on her next birthday.

Nadia held the locket tightly throughout the drive.

Whenever she felt like crying, she squeezed it until the tears went away.

Richard glanced at her through the rearview mirror several times.

She hadn't spoken in almost four hours.

Not once.

Not even to ask if they were there yet.

The silence frightened him more than tears would have.

He cleared his throat.

"Are you hungry?"

Nadia looked out the window.

"A little."

"We'll stop and get your favorite burgers."

She nodded politely.

"Okay."

That was all.

Richard sighed.

Before Evelyn died, Nadia would have filled the entire car with endless questions.

"Dad, why are clouds white?"

"Dad, why do birds fly in a V?"

"Dad, how long until we get there?"

Now...

Nothing.

It was as though someone had stolen her childhood in just three days.

...

By sunset, the towering skyline of New York appeared in the distance.

Nadia's eyes widened.

"So many buildings..."

Richard smiled faintly.

"You'll get used to them."

"I've never seen buildings this tall."

"Welcome home."

Home.

The word felt strange.

Willow Creek had always been home.

Grandma Eleanor was home.

Her mother's hugs were home.

This...

This was just a city.

...

An hour later, the black SUV turned through elegant iron gates.

Beyond them stood a magnificent mansion.

Three stories high.

Cream-colored walls.

Large glass windows.

Perfect gardens.

A sparkling fountain in the middle of the driveway.

Nadia stared speechlessly.

"Do people really live here?"

Richard chuckled softly.

"We do."

Her small mouth fell open.

"It's bigger than my school."

Richard laughed for the first time in days.

"It does feel that way sometimes."

A housekeeper opened the front door before they even reached it.

"Welcome home, Mr. Lawson."

"Thank you, Mrs. Carter."

Mrs. Carter smiled warmly at Nadia.

"So this must be Miss Nadia."

Nadia gave a shy nod.

"Hello."

"Oh my..."

Mrs. Carter's eyes softened.

"You look just like your mother."

Richard looked away.

Those words still hurt.

...

Inside, everything looked like something from a movie.

Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling.

Marble floors reflected the lights above.

Paintings covered the walls.

A grand staircase curved toward the second floor.

Nadia slowly turned in circles.

She had never imagined a house this beautiful.

Yet...

It felt cold.

Too quiet.

Too perfect.

It didn't smell like fresh pancakes.

It didn't smell like herbs.

It didn't smell like home.

...

Richard led her upstairs.

"This will be your room."

He pushed open the door.

Nadia gasped.

The bedroom was almost as large as the farmhouse living room.

There was a white canopy bed.

A bookshelf filled with children's novels.

A study desk beside a wide window.

A walk-in closet.

And dozens of stuffed animals arranged neatly on a sofa.

Richard smiled nervously.

"I wasn't sure what you'd like..."

"So I bought a little of everything."

Nadia looked around.

"It's beautiful."

"You don't like it?"

"I do."

"Then why aren't you smiling?"

She looked down at the floor.

"My room was beautiful too."

"...because Mom used to wake me up every morning."

Richard's smile disappeared.

He walked over and knelt in front of her.

"I know I'll never replace your mother."

Nadia nodded.

"I know."

"But I'll try my best to be here for you."

She searched his face.

"Promise?"

Richard didn't hesitate.

"I promise."

She wrapped her little arms around him.

For the first time since the funeral...

Richard allowed himself to believe things might be okay.

Maybe they could heal.

Maybe they could become a family again.

Neither of them knew...

Life had other plans.

...

Weeks passed.

Richard kept every promise he could.

He took Nadia to school himself.

They had breakfast together every morning.

Every Friday, they visited the bookstore.

Every Sunday, they walked through Central Park.

Slowly...

The sadness in Nadia's eyes began to fade.

She even laughed again.

Mrs. Carter often smiled whenever she heard it.

"The house sounds alive again," she whispered one afternoon.

Richard smiled.

"It does."

For the first time since Evelyn's death...

Hope returned to the Lawson house.

But hope...

Can be painfully fragile.

...

One rainy evening, Richard received a phone call while eating dinner with Nadia.

She watched as his expression became serious.

"What?"

"When?"

"I'll be there immediately."

He ended the call.

"Nadia..."

"I have to leave for a business trip tonight."

Her smile faded.

"But..."

"You promised we'd watch the new movie together."

"I know."

"I'm sorry."

"I'll make it up to you."

She lowered her eyes.

"You've been saying that a lot lately."

Richard froze.

The words sounded painfully familiar.

They were almost identical to what Evelyn had once told him.

He kissed Nadia's forehead.

"I'll only be gone for a few days."

"I promise."

As he walked toward the front door, Nadia stood at the top of the staircase watching him leave.

She didn't wave.

She simply whispered to herself...

"Please come back."

The front door closed.

The mansion became silent once more.

Outside...

The rain fell harder.

And somewhere across the city...

A woman was about to walk into Richard Lawson's life.

A woman whose smile hid ambition...

And whose arrival would change Nadia's childhood forever.