Chapter 1
It was a Monday morning when the three of us drove to the exhibition center.
Olivia held her miniature succulent garden carefully in her lap. She'd spent an entire month building it for the Youth Special Education Horticultural Design Expo.
She had mild dyslexia. Reading had always been a struggle. At school, she was constantly falling behind and spent most of her time hiding in the background.
This exhibition was the first time she'd ever found the courage to stand in front of a crowd.
"Daddy..." she asked softly, looking at the man in the passenger seat. "You'll help me attach the archway on stage, right?" Christian smiled at her.
"Of course. Just focus on your presentation. I'll be right there to help." His voice was warm.
Mine wasn't. He'd broken too many promises before. All I wanted was for him to be a father today.
The SUV pulled up outside the exhibition hall. Rain hammered against the roof.
I reached for the parking brake. Just then, Christian's phone lit up.
He answered immediately, making no effort to hide the screen from me.
"Helena?" he said quietly. "What's wrong?"
A woman's shaky voice came through the speaker.
"Christian... I'm so sorry to bother you. Carter was thrown by a horse during his riding lesson. He scraped his leg."
She sniffled.
"My late husband's trustees are reviewing every expense today. If I take Carter to the hospital and there's a big medical bill, they'll say I'm an unfit guardian. They could use it against me... They could take my son away."
Helena always knew exactly what to say. She played the helpless young widow trapped in one of the city's wealthiest families.
And Christian fell for it. Especially when it was his first love asking for help.
Sure enough, he was already unbuckling his seat belt.
"Evelyn," he said, "you and Olivia go in without me." "I have to go."
He reached into the back seat for his jacket. "Carter's terrified. Helena could lose custody if this gets worse. I have to help her."
"Christian, listen to yourself."
I grabbed his arm before he could open the door.
"Olivia's presentation starts in minutes. She's worked on this for a month. We're already here. How can you walk away now?"
From the back seat, Olivia looked at her father.
The hope in her eyes was impossible to miss.
A flicker of impatience crossed Christian's face.
"Olivia's just a kid," he said. "There'll be plenty of exhibitions."
He pulled his arm free. "But Helena could lose her son. You're a mother too, Evelyn. You know what that means."
Then he gave Olivia a quick hug. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. Daddy has to leave. I know you and Mommy can handle this."
Before either of us could answer, he was gone.
A taxi pulled up, and he climbed in without looking back.
I swallowed the lump in my throat and forced a smile. "It's okay, sweetheart. Mom's here."
Olivia didn't cry. She only pressed her lips together and gave me a small nod.
The decorative arch for her display was still in Christian's car. He was the only one who knew how the hidden locking clips worked.
So when it was our turn on stage... My daughter and I couldn't finish the final step.
Even so, I encouraged Olivia to present her project.
She took a deep breath.
Then, in the slow, careful rhythm she'd learned through years of struggling with words, she explained her succulent garden to the judges.
She tried so hard. She was polite.
The head judge, an older man in gold-rimmed glasses, offered her a gentle smile.
"I'm sorry, sweetheart," he said. "You've got a lovely idea here. But the project isn't finished. Right now... it looks more like a collection of potted plants than a complete design."
The color drained from Olivia's face.
Even then, she bowed politely. "Thank you for your time."
I could hold her. I could comfort her. But I couldn't undo what her father had done.
By walking away at the very last moment, he'd shattered the courage it had taken her to step into the world for the first time.
When the exhibition ended, families filled the lobby.
Parents hugged their children. Laughter echoed through the hall.
"Mom..."
Olivia's voice was barely above a whisper.
She stood quietly beside me.
"Let's go home." That was all she said.
I wrapped an arm around her shoulders and led her outside.
When we got home, she didn't even bother taking off her coat. Still carrying the box with her model, she walked silently upstairs to her bedroom.
I followed a few steps behind. Warm light spilled through the half-open door.
Olivia stood in front of her desk. She reached toward the LEGO cathedral. She pulled off another golden spire.
That was the ninth one.
Olivia closed her fingers around the golden spire. Then she walked over and placed it gently in my palm.
Her voice was barely a whisper.
"Mom, I don't want to rebuild the cathedral anymore."