The Decision
Marc exhaled, turned toward the dining room, and returned with a tray of food. “Then you’ll all eat properly,” he said simply.
Elena began to protest, but he stopped her gently. “Please. I insist.”
The children’s eyes widened as the plates appeared before them.
For the first time in years, laughter and the soft clatter of forks filled the house again.
Marc found himself sitting nearby, listening — not to figures or forecasts, but to stories about schoolyards, drawings, and a boy’s dream of becoming a pilot.
Something long-buried inside him began to thaw.
