Chapter 15
The snow had melted from the southern slopes of the hills, leaving behind the rich, dark smell of damp earth and budding maples. Elena sat on the wooden porch steps of the farmhouse, the morning sun warming her face as she held her newborn daughter wrapped in a pale yellow blanket. The baby slept soundly, her tiny chest rising and falling in an effortless, natural rhythm. Down the gravel driveway, the mail carrier's truck bounced slowly toward the box, kicking up a small cloud of dust before continuing on its route. Elena looked out over the wide, open fields stretching toward the horizon, feeling the steady, unhurried pulse of ordinary life moving all around her. There were no lenses pointed at her, no countdown clocks, no demands to perform for strangers in the dark. There was only the warm sun, the fresh spring air, and the quiet, unbroken promise of tomorrow. She pressed a gentle kiss to the top of the baby's soft head and whispered her name into the morning wind.
