Pearl came running into the living room, her small feet tapping on the marble floor as she held a handful of colorful flowers. Melissa and Damian, who are now awkwardly apart from each other, quickly turned to face her, their moment of intimacy interrupted by her excitement.
"What is it, baby?" Melissa asked, her voice soft, trying to mask the tension between her and Damian.
"Look at these!" Pearl’s wide grin was infectious as she held out the flowers for her mother to see.
Melissa inspected the assortment of flowers with genuine admiration. "Wow, these look lovely. Where did you get them?"
"From the garden outside!" Pearl beamed, her eyes lighting up with pride.
Damian chuckled. "You’re really a little Dora the Explorer, aren’t you? I didn’t even know I had these flowers in my garde
