struck, braces Noah would need, a cushion that could let him breathe for once. Then he looked at his kids, at their careless trust and ordinary innocence, and the temptation fell away with a shameful softness. The legacy he wanted to leave them wasn’t a secret sale or a lucky break, but a father they could believe in, especially when no one was watching. He turned toward customer service, already deciding, and that was when he heard a fragile, frantic sound behind him.
An older woman appeared at the end
