Chapter 10 - The Unbreakable Bond
The year turned, bringing crisp autumn air back to Madrid. The leaves in Parque del Retiro turned brilliant shades of copper and gold, crunching beneath our boots as we walked through the gravel paths on a Sunday afternoon.
My phone rang in my pocket. I pulled it out to see Marcus’s name flashing on the screen.
"Marcus," I answered, keeping one eye on Isabella as she chased a stray pigeon across the grass. "Tell me you're not calling about zoning permits on a Sunday."
"Relax, Julian, it’s not business," Marcus laughed on the other end. "I'm calling because the financial quarterly report just dropped, and your private family trust holdings have appreciated by twelve percent. You’re officially richer than you were when you started the year."
I looked across the lawn, watching Isabella laugh as the pigeon finally took flight, her small red jacket bright against the autumn colors. I thought back to the cold marble foyer in Marbella, the blistered hands, the tearless eyes of a child who had accepted her own misery, and the arrogant wife who thought she owned a human life.
"Marcus," I said quietly, watching my daughter run back toward me with a handful of autumn leaves.
"Yeah, Julian? Still there?"
May you like
"Keep the portfolio," I replied, smiling as Isabella jumped into my arms, wrapping her healthy, unblemished hands around my neck. "I’ve already got everything I’ll ever need."
I hung up the phone, slipped it back into my pocket, and picked my daughter up, spinning her around in the crisp autumn air as she laughed with a joy that nothing in this world could ever touch again.
