Chapter 11 - THE REUNION IN THE SUNROOM
The heavy mahogany front doors of the mansion creaked open.
Eleanor stepped inside the grand foyer. The interior was magnificent—soaring double-height ceilings, crystal wall sconces, and soft, hand-woven wool carpets that muffled every step. But to Eleanor, it was just another cold hotel lobby.
She walked down the long central hallway, guided by the quiet, sweet sound of a child’s laughter echoing from the sunroom at the rear of the house.
She pushed open the French glass doors.
Sitting on a plush rug in the center of the sunroom was Leo. He was playing with a set of wooden architectural blocks, dressed in a comfortable grey cotton sweater and dark trousers. Standing near the window was a soft-spoken pediatric nurse, who immediately bowed her head respectfully and slipped out of the room as Eleanor entered.
Leo turned around. When his bright blue eyes met Eleanor’s, he dropped the wooden block in his hand.
"Mummy!" he shouted, scrambling up from the floor as fast as his legs could carry him.
Eleanor dropped to her knees right there on the rug, opening her arms wide.
Leo slammed into her chest, wrapping his arms tightly around her neck, burying his face into her navy wool coat. Eleanor pulled him close, pressing her cheek against his soft golden hair, closing her eyes as tears streamed freely down her face once more.
"I knew you were coming," Leo whispered, his small hands clutching her coat tightly. "The woman in the green dress said you weren't real... but I knew you were."
Eleanor kissed his forehead, pulling back slightly to cup his soft face in her rough, worn hands.
May you like
"I am real, Leo," she whispered, her voice choking with emotion. "And nobody is ever going to take you away from me again. Ever."
Leo looked into her clear sky-blue eyes—the exact match of his own—and smiled. A pure, radiant, unbroken smile that lit up the room.
