Chapter 10 - Sofia Called Me Daddy for the First TimeThat night, Sofia couldn't sleep.
I sat beside her bed.
“Tell me a story.”
“What kind?”
“A happy one.”
I thought.
“Once there was a little girl…”
She interrupted.
“And a scary man?”
I smiled.
“Yes.”
“Was he really scary?”
“Very.”
“What happened?”
“He met a little girl who wasn't scared of him.”
Sofia smiled.
“What did she do?”
“She taught him how to love.”
Her eyes closed.
Then she whispered,
“Goodnight, Daddy.”
I stopped breathing.
She was already asleep.
I stared at her.
Daddy.
May you like
One word.
It was enough to break twenty-eight years of armor.
Related Stories
Chapter 11 - Maria Was Shot Protecting Sofia, and I Nearly Became the Monster Everyone Believed I WasThe final attack came at the courthouse.
Chapter 12 - I Gave Away Millions to Build What My Mother Never HadAfter everything ended, I changed.
Chapter 13 - Maria Asked Me If I Was Afraid of Loving HerOne evening, Maria and I sat on the back porch.
Chapter 14 - The Little Girl Who Once Covered Me With a Blanket Finally Gave Me a HomeThree years later, Sofia was seven.
Chapter 15 - The Mafia Boss Who Believed Nobody Would Ever Love Him Finally Came HomeYears earlier, my father had taught me one sentence.
