Lucas felt a strange tug in his stomach. The man stepped forward, squinting toward them. And then he started walking. The man with red hair was getting closer, walking slowly but steadily down the gravel path. Lucas watched him approach, heart ticking faster without knowing why. Emilia noticed. She followed Lucas’s gaze, then said, “That’s my dad.”
The man reached them, his steps quiet on the gravel. “Hey, sweetie,” he said, offering Emilia a soft smile. His voice was calm, steady. “You done picking the flowers? It’s time we get going now—don’t want to be too late for dinner. Your mom’s waiting for us.” Emilia nodded, then glanced between her father and Lucas. “I was just telling him you knew Evelyn.”