"It's beautiful." I smoothed his hair. "Did you eat lunch? Where's Daddy?"
"I ate! Maria made me really good beef." Olei blinked up at me. "Daddy didn't eat. He left. He said he had to handle something and I should wait for you."
I frowned. Where had Silas gone?
I checked my phone. He'd sent a message.
"Emergency at headquarters. I'll be back later. Take care of yourself and Olei."
Unease crawled through me. Headquarters meant danger. I thought of the people who'd been following us. Were they involved?
"Mommy," Olei tugged my sleeve, "can you help me find something in Daddy's study?"
"What?"
"The picture in Daddy's drawer!" His eyes lit up. "The one where Daddy looks at you crying—I want to show you!"
I tried to remember which photo that could be. During my time at the manor, I'd rarely taken pictures. After I got pregnant and my body swelled up, I'd avoided cameras completely.
"Okay, let's go look." I took his hand.
In the study, Olei scrambled onto the desk chair and pulled open a drawer, fishing out a yellowed photograph.
I took it from him and stared.
Six years ago. Me in a white dress, standing in the dahlia garden, smiling at the camera. The dahlias had just been planted. I'd begged Silas to take the picture. My belly barely showed. My face held a naive, happy smile.
The edges were worn, some parts frayed—like someone had picked it up and put it down countless times.
My nose stung.
"Mommy, why are you crying?" Olei's voice went tight with worry.
"I'm not, baby. I'm just... touched." I wiped my eyes and put the photo back.
That's when I noticed the videotapes underneath.
"What are these?" I picked one up.
No label. No indication of what was on it.
"I don't know." Olei shook his head honestly. "I never saw them before."
I stared at the tape, a sweet anticipation blooming in my chest. Could they be about me? Maybe Silas had recorded our daily life six years ago? The thought made me smile. Maybe these tapes held tenderness I'd never known about.
Olei's smartwatch beeped.
"Beep beep beep—"
He checked it, disappointment flickering across his face. "Mommy, it's homework time."
His own alarm. His own schedule.
"You can rest a little longer, keep me company while I watch these."
"No." He shook his head seriously. "You watch the tapes first, Mommy. When I finish my reading, we'll watch together!"
He slid off the chair and headed for the door.
