Chapter 5 - The Orchard House
The valley house was built of cedar and stone, perched on a rise overlooking rows of ancient apple trees. Unlike the sterile, chrome-and-marble penthouses favored by the Sterling family, this place smelled of pine needles, woodsmoke, and old books.
For the first month, time seemed to slow down. Leo gained weight, his tiny cheeks filling out with healthy color. Clara spent her afternoons sitting on the wraparound porch, cradling the baby while Gabriel worked in the adjacent woodshop, fashioning a crib out of white oak.
The sound of his hand plane shaving wood was rhythmic and soothing. Clara would watch him through the open barn doors. He worked with deliberate care, inspecting every grain, ensuring no splinter remained. It was a metaphor for how he treated them—patiently smoothing away the jagged edges left behind by Julian’s cruelty.
One evening, as twilight draped the valley in deep indigo, Clara carried a sleeping Leo into the kitchen. Gabriel was stirring a pot of vegetable broth on the stove.
"You play the violin," Gabriel said, glancing back at her with a gentle smile. "I saw the case in your luggage. Why haven't you touched it?"
May you like
Clara looked down at her hands. "Julian hated the noise. He said practicing at home was an intrusion on his work. Eventually, I just stopped believing I had anything worth playing."
Gabriel turned off the burner, wiped his hands on a towel, and walked over. He looked down at Leo, then into Clara’s eyes. "A home without music is just a shelter. Play for him, Clara. Let him grow up knowing what your joy sounds like."
