His touch calmed me, lifting my spirits like magic.
We sat around the table while Sofia excitedly shared the new stories Alexander had taught her. I watched it all, my heart full of happiness.
Under the table, Alexander gently rested his foot against mine. I glanced at him, but he kept eating as if nothing had happened. I looked down to cut my eggs, hiding my irrepressible smile. Sofia was completely absorbed in her storytelling, oblivious to our silent exchange.
But reality intruded soon enough.
"God, I need to get to work," I checked the time. "I already took three days off with Sofia. I have to go back today."
Familiar pressure settled back onto my shoulders. Work at the paper wasn't easy, and three days off had already put me behind.
But then...
I looked at Sofia with concern. "Sweetie, you should skip daycare today and rest at home. But if Mommy's not here..."
I didn't finish, but my worry was obvious. Sofia was much better, but I still couldn't bear the thought of leaving her alone.
"I can work from home," Alexander read my hesitation and concern. "Stay with her. I have my laptop—I can handle company business remotely."
"But your work—" I knew his position carried heavy responsibilities. He shouldn't delay them for us.
"Anna," he said gently but firmly, "nothing's more important than taking care of our— Sofia. My work is flexible, but Sofia needs someone with her."
I caught what Alexander had almost said—our girl. It made my heart race.
Sofia looked between Alexander and me, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. "That's right! Sofia is Alex's important person!"
Hearing Sofia's innocent words, I couldn't help but laugh. Alexander laughed too.
I looked at him, my voice carrying a dependence I didn't even recognize. "Really? You can do that?"
"Of course. Go ahead and work without worry. We'll be here when you get back."
Emotion nearly overflowed from my chest. I instinctively wanted to give him a goodbye kiss but caught myself. Instead, I reached out to straighten his collar—an action that might look like casual friendship to Sofia but was loaded with unspoken feeling for us.
"Thank you," I said softly. Our eyes met briefly, then quickly parted.
Sofia clapped and cheered. "Yay! Alex is staying with me all day!"
Leaving home, I looked back at them once. Alexander was helping Sofia fix her hair—such a harmonious picture I almost couldn't bear to leave. He looked up at me, his lips curving in an almost invisible smile, his fingers giving a tiny wave where Sofia couldn't see. This secret little goodbye brightened my mood.
At the newspaper, I tried focusing on work, but my thoughts kept drifting home. I kept imagining what Alexander and Sofia were doing together, how they were getting along. This distraction was unusual—for five years, I'd trained myself to focus completely at work because I knew Sofia was safe at daycare. But now, even though she was home with someone caring for her, I felt a different kind of pull.
Today's assignment was following up on a story about controversial urban demolitions. I brought my camera to the demolition site, where residents and reporters had already gathered. Tension filled the air as residents held signs and voiced their complaints loudly. Government workers tried maintaining order while explaining the demolition's necessity.
I forced myself into work mode, but an inexplicable unease kept gnawing at me. I constantly adjusted my camera settings, capturing key moments from the scene. As a reporter, I needed to stay objective while also giving voice to vulnerable groups' concerns. This balance wasn't easy to strike.
After interviewing several residents, I learned the demolition decision was genuinely controversial. Some residents said they hadn't received adequate notice, while others questioned the unfair compensation standards. I carefully recorded everyone's viewpoints to ensure my report would comprehensively reflect the actual situation.
Work concentration temporarily made me forget the morning's emotional turbulence, but during shooting breaks, those images would resurface. Alexander and Sofia eating breakfast together, Sofia's happy smile, Alexander's gentle eyes... These scenes warmed me but also made me more wary. I was afraid of depending on this happiness, afraid of the pain of losing it once I got used to it.
That evening, I returned to the office to organize today's photos. Most were routine news shots—protesting residents, on-site chaos, workers maintaining order. I sorted through them, selecting the few that best captured the story's essence.
But when I examined the photos carefully, I discovered some unusual details.
In one shot of the protest crowd, I noticed several men in expensive suits observing from the background. They didn't look like government workers or reporters. Stranger still, one of them seemed to have noticed my lens and was staring directly atthe camera.
I enlarged the photo for a closer look, unease rising in my chest. That man's gaze was sharp and carried an unmistakable warning. I couldn't help shivering.
