“You kept him.”
Maya nodded seriously.
“He’s brave.”
Arthur agreed.
“So are you.”
The little girl beamed.
Lena placed a small box on his desk.
“What’s this?”
“A thank-you gift.”
Arthur opened it.
Inside was a framed photograph.
A picture of Lena and Maya standing in front of their apartment.
Smiling.
Home.
Safe.
The old man’s eyes lingered on the photo.
For a moment he said nothing.
Then he noticed writing beneath the frame.
Three simple words.
You believed first.
Arthur swallowed hard.
Because the truth was he hadn’t saved
