Chapter 5: The Secret Inside Toño
Sofia lowered her eyes to the stuffed fox in her lap.
For a moment, she only stroked its worn orange fur, as if asking it for permission. Then, with trembling fingers, she began to unpick the seam along its side.
My heart hammered against my ribs.
She worked slowly, carefully, glancing at the door every few seconds. Finally, she reached inside the toy and pulled out a small silver USB drive.
She pressed it into my palm.
Her fingers were cold as ice.
“Daddy,” she whispered, her voice barely audible over the rain tapping against the windows. “You have to see this.”
I closed my hand around the drive, but I did not move right away.
That one word had broken something in me.
Daddy.
Not because I had earned it perfectly, but because she was asking me to become what the word meant.
A protector.
I stood, took the drive, and walked to my office… Continue Reading ⬇️