THE echoes of Hazel’s presentation still lingered in Amelia’s heart long after the school auditorium emptied. Hazel had stood tall, her planets neatly lined on the board, her voice steady as she explained the solar system. And then, the very moment Adrian had walked in, the look of bewilderment on their daughter’s face. Hazel’s face had lit up like a thousand stars, and she had run to hug him, giving rise to that sweet father-daughter moment they had. And how about the hug at the end of the presentation? That family embrace?
That night, as Amelia tucked Hazel into bed, her daughter whispered, “Mommy, I wish you and Daddy could be together again. You both looked so nice standing beside me today.”
Amelia had kissed her forehead, dismissing the thought with a soft smile, but Hazel’s words h
