Building From the Ashes

Five years later…

The smell of fresh coffee and cinnamon drifted through the small Riverside bookstore as sunlight spilled across worn wooden floors. The morning rush had just ended, and Lena finally allowed herself to exhale.

Her long hair was tied up in a messy bun, a smudge of ink on her wrist from restocking journals. She wore a faded lilac sweater and jeans—comfortable, practical, a far cry from the designer gowns and suffocating silence of her past life.

“Mommy!”

Lena turned just in time to catch a whirlwind of curls and giggles crashing into her legs. Eliana—bright-eyed, four years old, and endlessly curious—grinned up at her with a crayon-streaked face and a paper crown sliding off her head.

Lena knelt. “You’ve been drawing again, haven’t you?”

“I made a princess castle. With dragons!” Eliana’s eyes sparkled. “But nice dragons. They bring candy.”

Lena laughed softly, brushing a curl from her daughter’s face. “Of course they do.”

Eliana reached into her little backpack and pulled out her masterpiece. A scribbled castle, a stick-figure princess with long brown hair, and… a tall man in a suit.

“Who’s this?” Lena asked, eyeing the figure with wide shoulders and blue eyes.

“That’s Daddy,” Eliana said simply.

Lena’s heart skipped a beat.

She’d never told Eliana about Dominic. Not really. Only that her daddy had to go away. That some daddies weren’t ready to be daddies. That she was enough for both of them.

Still, somehow… Eliana had created him.

Lena managed a gentle smile. “What made you draw him today?”

Eliana shrugged. “Sometimes, I dream about him.”

A silence settled. The kind that wrapped around Lena’s ribs and squeezed.

She stood, trying to shake off the ache. “We’ll talk more later, okay? Want to help me shelve some fairy tales?”

But before Eliana could answer, the bell above the door jingled.

A woman in a pencil skirt and Bluetooth earpiece strode in briskly, tapping away on her phone. Behind her, a florist arrived with two giant arrangements of white orchids.

Lena blinked. That wasn’t normal.

Then came a man in a suit, adjusting his tie. “We’re here to set up for the Riverside Gala preview. Mr. Black’s team booked this space to host his charity spotlight.”

The name hit her like a slap.

Black.

Dominic Black.

Lena froze.

“What do you mean booked this space?” she managed, stepping forward.

The man glanced at her. “The owner agreed to host the display window. Mr. Black will be in town this weekend. Big media push. You’ll probably get more foot traffic.”

Lena’s stomach turned. Of all the cities… all the bookstores… all the moments…

Dominic Black was about to walk back into her life.

And this time, he wouldn’t be walking away alone.

Because Eliana—his daughter—was here. Breathing the same air. Drawing him in crayon.

Lena grabbed her daughter’s hand, heart racing.

She had to protect her. No matter what.

Lena’s fingers tightened around Eliana’s tiny hand.

“Mommy?” Eliana blinked up at her. “Are you okay?”

Lena forced a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “I’m fine, baby. Let’s go to the back, okay?”

As she gently ushered Eliana through the beaded curtain separating the shop’s reading nook from the employee area, Lena’s mind raced.

Dominic. Here. In Riverside?

She hadn’t heard his name in years—not since she signed those divorce papers and left the nightmare of their marriage behind. She never looked back. Not even once. She had built a new life from scratch, in a small town where no one knew who she used to be. Where she could raise Eliana in peace.

And now, fate had decided to drop him back into her world… uninvited.

She knelt beside her daughter near a low bookshelf stacked with coloring books and fairy tales.

“Eliana,” she said gently, tucking a loose curl behind her daughter’s ear. “Do you remember how we talk about secrets?”

The little girl nodded. “Like the time I ate cookies before dinner and promised not to tell Grandma?”

Lena smiled faintly. “Kind of like that. But bigger. Remember how I told you that some things are just for us? For now?”

Eliana frowned thoughtfully. “Like about Daddy?”

Lena froze.

Eliana had always been intuitive. Sharp. She noticed things Lena didn’t say more than what she did.

“Yes,” Lena said carefully. “If you see someone who looks like the man you drew… don’t talk about him being your daddy. Not yet, okay?”

“Why?” Eliana’s big brown eyes searched hers. “Is he a secret?”

Lena swallowed hard. “He’s… not ready to know he’s special to you.”

Eliana nodded sadly, like she understood more than she should for her age. “Okay, Mommy.”

Lena hugged her tightly, inhaling the scent of apple shampoo and crayons. “You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. You know that, right?”

Eliana giggled. “You say that every day.”

“Because it’s true every day.”

A knock came at the back door. Lena stood, brushing imaginary dust off her jeans. It was her boss—Ms. Rina, the kind bookstore owner who’d given her the job and never asked questions about her past.

“I hope you don’t mind,” Rina said, stepping inside. “Dominic Black’s people are paying well to rent the display space for the gala. Good PR for us.”

Lena’s throat tightened. “Of course. It’s fine.”

Rina glanced at Eliana. “Will she be here during the event? There’ll be press. Cameras.”

“No,” Lena said quickly. “We’ll stay out of the way.”

She couldn’t risk Eliana being caught on camera. Or worse—being noticed by Dominic.