Surprise

As Abby bid farewell to the guests who had come to celebrate her father's homecoming, Remo, arranged cars to take them away. Gratitude and exhaustion mingled in her heart as she watched them depart, each car carrying a piece of the evening's memories.

Once the last guest had left, Abby ventured back to her father's room, her steps hesitant as she approached the doorway. She hoped to find her father resting peacefully, but what she saw caught her completely off guard.

There, in the soft glow of the room, Martha lay sleeping beside her father, her head nestled against his chest. The sight struck Abby with a mixture of emotions—surprise, confusion, and a pang of something she couldn't quite name.

She stood frozen in the doorway, her mind racing to make sense of what she was seeing. Martha, the trusted maid who had been a constant presence in their lives, was now sharing a tender moment with her father, a scene that felt both intimate and unsettling.