Chapter 1 - The Promise He Made
Six weeks earlier, Nathan Caldwell stood beside the frozen lake behind his Aspen mansion and made a promise to his daughters.
He had been preparing for another international business trip, one that would take him to London, Zurich, and Singapore. His company was negotiating the largest hotel acquisition in its history, and every adviser insisted his presence was essential.
Sophie, Lily, Grace, and Ava sat together on a wooden bench, bundled in matching coats and knitted hats. They had been born within minutes of one another, yet each possessed a distinct personality.
Sophie watched everything carefully. Lily asked endless questions. Grace tried to make everyone laugh. Ava spoke the least but noticed the most.
“Will you be home for Christmas?” Lily asked.
Nathan knelt in the snow before them.
“I will be home before Christmas Eve.”
“You promised that last year,” Sophie said.
The words struck him harder than she intended.
After their mother, Emily, had died three years earlier, Nathan had buried his grief beneath work. He told himself he was building a secure future for his daughters. In reality, he was often absent from the present.
Vanessa appeared on the terrace wearing a cream coat.
“Girls, your piano instructor is waiting.”
They reluctantly stood.
Nathan hugged each child before they returned to the house. Ava remained behind for a moment and slipped a folded drawing into his hand.
It showed five people standing beneath a Christmas tree. Nathan and the four girls were smiling. Vanessa stood far away beside a large pile of presents.
At the bottom, Ava had written three uneven words.
Come home soon.
Nathan placed the drawing inside his coat pocket.
“I’ll be back,” he promised.
As his car left the estate that afternoon, he looked through the rear window and saw Vanessa standing behind the girls.
May you like
She was smiling.
The children were not.
