BOUND TO HER LIGHT

Chapter 10

The morning sunlight streamed weakly through the mansion’s tall windows, catching the dust in tiny golden motes that danced across the polished floor.

Isla had promised herself she would be perfect today. No mistakes. No chaos. No chance for Gabriel to think less of her.

But the children were already testing her patience.

Evie clutched her favorite crayon, drawing fiercely in a notebook, while Maxen toddled around, exploring the room with tiny, curious hands. Isla moved between them like a tightrope walker, trying to anticipate every move.

She had prepared breakfast early, carefully separating the children’s food, mindful of Maxen’s delicate stomach. But in the flurry of setting plates on the small table, she grabbed the wrong container. The cup with Maxen’s milk was replaced with one meant for Evie and it contained something he couldn’t have.

Maxen’s eyes went wide.

“No! No!” he shrieked, reaching for the wrong cup, knocking it over. The liquid spilled across the floor, soaking his tiny socks and sending him toppling onto the edge of the chair.

“Maxen! Careful!” Isla shouted, rushing to catch him, but her hands trembled. She was too late to prevent a scrape on his elbow.

Evie’s eyes widened in horror, her crayon clattering to the floor. “He’s hurt! You hurt him!”

“I...no..I didn’t!” Isla gasped, heart hammering. She grabbed a towel and tried to soothe Maxen, but his wails pierced through her like a physical blow. Evie began crying too, her little sobs a mixture of fear and panic.

Isla’s chest tightened. She felt frozen, unable to calm both children at once. Every instinct she had for keeping them safe seemed to fail her. She muttered frantic reassurances, her voice shaking so badly that it sounded almost alien to her own ears.

She knelt on the floor, hugging Maxen to her chest while gently rubbing Evie’s back. “It’s okay, it’s okay… I’ve got you. I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry…”

The children’s cries mixed with hers, hot tears streaming down her cheeks. She had tried so hard to be perfect, to do everything right, and yet here she was failing in the most fundamental way possible.

Her thoughts spun: If Gabriel knew… he’d fire me. He’d say I was incompetent. My family… my father… my mother… they’re counting on me. I can’t fail them. I can’t.

The panic tightened around her chest until she felt she could barely breathe. Maxen squirmed in her arms, whimpering, while Evie’s cries grew quieter as exhaustion overtook her anger.

Eventually, after what felt like hours, the children calmed enough for Isla to breathe. Maxen dozed in her lap, and Evie clutched her drawing book to her chest, rubbing her tear-streaked face against Isla’s sleeve.

Isla sank onto the floor, head resting against the cool edge of the coffee table. She let the tears fall freely, silent and shaking. Her body ached from the panic and adrenaline, her heart heavier than it had ever been.

She thought of her family her father coughing in their small apartment, her mother working tirelessly, her brother struggling just to make ends meet. She thought of Gabriel Duván and his high expectations, and the impossibility of living up to them.

I’m not ready for this. I’m not capable. I’m not enough.

The house was quiet now, the only sounds the soft breathing of Maxen and Evie’s occasional sniffles. Isla buried her face in her hands, letting the guilt and despair consume her.

And yet, beneath the weight of exhaustion and shame, a faint spark of determination flared. She couldn’t let this break her completely. She had to survive. She had to learn.

Even if it killed her, she wouldn’t let herself or her family fail because of this day.

With trembling hands, she lifted Maxen into his crib, tucked Evie in, and watched them sleep. Her tears continued to fall, but slowly, she whispered a quiet promise:

Tomorrow… tomorrow I’ll be better. I have to be.