Chapter 5 - A Fragile Truce
The rain continued to lash against the glass windows as the storm outside grew fiercer. The wind howled through the high trees surrounding the estate, causing the power lights in the hallway to flicker ominously before dying out completely.
The mansion plunged into darkness.
Upstairs, the sudden loss of light and the loud crack of thunder triggered an immediate double wail. Maisie and Rosie began to scream in terror.
Elise didn't hesitate. She dropped her bag, pulled a small flashlight from her pocket, and ran up the stairs toward the nursery. I followed right behind her.
When we reached the room, the girls were frantic, kicking their blankets off and hyperventilating in the pitch-black space.
Elise immediately picked up Rosie, cradling her against her neck, while I rushed to Maisie’s crib, lifting her into my arms.
"Shh... I'm here, sweetie," I murmured, holding Maisie tight. My heart was pounding, not from anger this time, but from a desperate desire to protect her. "Daddy's here."
Maisie’s cries slowed down slightly, but she was still trembling from the thunder outside.
"Bring her over here," Elise said, sitting down on the large woven rug in the center of the room. She placed a battery-operated nightlight on the floor, casting a warm, golden glow across the rug.
I sat down across from her, holding Maisie, while Elise held Rosie.
"We need to keep them grounded," Elise whispered. "Speak to them softly. Let them feel your pulse."
I gently pressed Maisie against my chest, taking slow, deep breaths. I began to hum a melody—an old lullaby my mother used to sing to me when I was a child. I hadn't thought about that song in twenty years.
Elise looked up at me, a soft smile spreading across her face in the golden light. "That's it, Vance. Keep humming."
Rosie's crying stopped completely as she listened to my voice. Maisie leaned her head against my collarbone, her small hand reaching out to grab my thumb. She held on with surprising strength, her breathing slowly evening out.
For the first time in two months, the heavy weight in my chest didn't feel like it was crushing me.
We sat together on the floor for nearly an hour in the soft light of the battery lamp, holding the girls until they both fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.
I looked across at Elise. Her eyes were closed, her head resting against the side of the armchair, looking thoroughly exhausted yet completely content.
"Elise," I said softly.
She opened her eyes, looking at me. "Yes?"
"Don't leave," I said, the words coming from a place deep inside me that I hadn't accessed in years. "Please. Stay."
Elise stared at me for a long moment, reading the sincerity and vulnerability in my eyes.
"On one condition, Vance," she replied softly.
"Anything."
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"You stop hiding in your office," she said. "You let me teach you how to be present for them. You stop treating your grief like a crime, and you start letting your daughters heal you."
I swallowed hard, tears stinging the backs of my eyes. I nodded once. "Deal."
