Chapter 15 - The Unbroken Horizon
Five years later.
The orchard on the northern ridge was in full bloom, a sea of white and blush-pink petals drifting lazily through the warm May breeze. The afternoon was golden, stretching long and sweet across the meadows.
Grace, now six years old, ran through the grass with boundless energy, her brown hair streaming behind her, clutching a red kite that soared into the clear azure sky. Her laughter, clear as a silver bell, echoed down the hillside, making the family golden retriever bark in pure joy as he bounded beside her.
""Higher, Daddy! Make it go higher!"" she called out, looking back over her shoulder.
Marcus jogged alongside her, his face creased with laugh lines, holding the spool of string and guiding her small hands to catch the updraft. He was barefoot, his rolled-up linen shirt catching the breeze, looking years younger and infinitely lighter than the corporate architect who had once lived in a cage of glass and steel.
May you like
Elena watched them from the porch steps, resting her elbows on her knees, holding a glass of iced lemonade. Beside her, mounted securely into the stone arch above the front door, the mosaic disc caught the afternoon sun, casting brilliant, warm reflections across the cedar porch.
Grace tripped on a patch of clover,"
