For hours, we stayed side by side as parents and teachers stopped to admire the project. Every compliment made Clara glance up at me, proud and glowing—and every time, something inside me shifted.
This wasn’t about money.
Or power.
Or control.
For the first time in my life, I felt like I was doing something right simply by being there.
From time to time, my eyes found Valentina across the room.
She watched us quietly, her expression complex—pride, sadness, and something deeper I couldn’t name.
A part of me wanted her beside us. Wanted to share that moment the way it always should have been.
But I didn’t have that right.
She needed space. She needed time.
“Uncle Enrico, can you explain our project again to Teacher Ana?” Clara asked, pulling me back.
“Of course, princess.”
As I knelt beside her, explaining our solar system with patient care, something settled inside me.
For the first time, I didn’t feel like I was pretending to be a father.
I felt like one.
And that realization made my heart race.
I knew I had a long road ahead—to earn Valentina’s trust, to deserve the day Clara might call meDad.
But for now, this moment was enough.
It was everything.
***
I woke up to a sharp, frightened scream tearing through the hallway.
My heart leapt into my throat as I jumped out of bed and ran barefoot down the hall.
Clara’s door flew open.
She was sitting upright in the middle of the bed, sobbing, clutching her favorite blanket with small, trembling hands.
“Mommy!” she cried.
I crossed the room in seconds, sitting beside her and pulling her gently into my arms.
“It’s okay, Clara,” I whispered, holding her close and rubbing her back in slow, steady motions. “It was just a bad dream. You’re safe.”
She clung to me, shaking.
“I want Mommy…” she whispered, even as she held onto me tighter.
“I know, princess. She’s coming,” I said softly, beginning to hum the same melody that always seemed to calm her.
