One year later.
First Whisper Bookstore had grown into one of the city's most beloved cultural landmarks. I had expanded the layout to include a comfortable lounge area and a dedicated children's reading section, regularly hosting weekend book clubs, author events, and small independent art galleries.
My days were completely filled, offering a life that was stable, busy, and peaceful.
Leo Vance was now attending elementary school, growing into a bright, joyful young boy. Every now and then, he would ask about his father, but he no longer cried or begged for him to come home. A child's heart is profoundly intuitive—they naturally gravitate toward whoever provides them with genuine, unconditional love.
On a crisp, late-autumn afternoon, the bookstore was hosting a parent-child storytelli
