Chapter 78: Beyond Reach
Liam’s POV
I was somewhere else. Somewhere beautiful.
The garden stretched before me, a vibrant tapestry of emerald grass and wildflowers dancing in a gentle breeze. Sunlight filtered through the leaves of ancient oak trees, casting dappled patterns that shifted and swayed across the ground. The air was sweet with the scent of jasmine and honeysuckle, and somewhere nearby, I could hear the melodic trickle of water from a fountain.
But none of that compared to the sound that made my heart swell with an emotion so pure it almost hurt—laughter. Children’s laughter.
I sat on a weathered wooden bench, watching them play. Two small figures, chasing butterflies and each other across the lawn, their movements carefree and bursting with joy. My children. My twins.
"Daddy! Daddy, watch this!" called the little boy, his voice high and clear as he attempted a wobbly cartwheel that collapsed into a giggling heap.
"I can do better!" declared his sister, executing her own version that ended similarly, both of them dissolving into fits of laughter that echoed through the garden.
I found myself smiling—not the careful, measured smile I wore in boardrooms, but something genuine that started somewhere deep in my chest and radiated outward. When was the last time I’d felt like this? This lightness, this... happiness?
"Daddy, come play!" They were suddenly in front of me, small hands tugging at my wrists, their faces animated with excitement. Their features remained curiously blurred, like looking through frosted glass, but somehow I could still see the sparkle in their eyes, the rosiness of their cheeks, the way their smiles lit up their entire beings.
"Please, Daddy!" the little girl implored, bouncing on her toes with impatience. "Chase us!"
I allowed myself to be pulled to my feet, marveling at how readily my body responded, how absent the constant ache in my ribs was. Standing, I towered over them, these tiny perfect humans who looked up at me with such uncomplicated adoration.