Chapter 3 - A Decade of Silence
Nathaniel Graves stepped over the threshold of our tiny apartment,
looking around at the cracked ceiling and the worn-out furniture.
My mom stood up slowly,
her hands trembling so much she had to grip the back of the chair.
"How did you find me?"
she asked,
her voice barely audible.
"I didn't find you,
Elena,"
he said,
his voice cracking.
"Your daughter found me."
He held up the wallet,
the one I had traveled across the city to return.
"She walked into my office with a pink notice in her bag,
and the same fire in her eyes that you had when you walked out."
Mom looked at me,
horror and realization dawning on her face.
"Ruby,
I told you never to go to that part of town,"
she said,
but there was no anger in her voice,
only exhaustion.
"I had to,
Mom,"
I explained,
"we needed the money,
and I thought if I returned it,
maybe there would be a reward."
Nathaniel walked toward her,
but she took a step back,
the boxes of our meager belongings standing between them.
"I don't want your money,
Nathaniel,"
she spat,
the old bitterness returning to her voice.
"I told you twelve years ago I wouldn't take a dime from your empire."
"And look where that pride has gotten you!"
he shouted,
before immediately softening his tone.
"Look at how she’s living,
Elena."
"We were doing fine,"
she countered,
gesturing to the room,
"until the factory closed."
"Fine?"
he asked,
gesturing to the eviction notice on the table.
"You are being thrown out like trash by a slumlord I just bought out ten minutes ago."
Mom froze,
her mouth falling open in shock.
"You bought the building?"
"I bought the whole block,"
he said,
crossing his arms.
"And the first thing I did as the new owner was tear up your eviction."
The room went silent,
save for the sound of a distant siren outside.
Mom sank back into her chair,
her strength finally giving out.
"Why now?"
she asked,
tears beginning to flow again.
"Why after all these years of searching and failing,
do you show up now?"
"Because a little girl with a dusty dress and a big heart wouldn't take 'no' for an answer,"
he said.
He looked at me,
and for the first time,
I saw a smile touch his lips.
"She has your stubbornness,
but she has my father’s eyes."
He walked to the window,
looking out at the dark street below.
"I spent twelve years being the richest man in the state,
and the most miserable man in the world."
"You chose the company over family,"
Mom reminded him,
her voice sharp.
"I chose wrong,"
he admitted,
turning back to face her.
"And I have spent every day since trying to find the daughter I drove away."
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small,
faded photograph.
It was of a young woman who looked just like my mom,
standing in front of a giant house.
May you like
"I never stopped looking,"
he whispered.
