The case review process moved quickly. The lawyers found violations and arranged for bail. By evening, Isabella was free, holding a small bag of belongings in her hands.
They drove to a modest flat where an elderly neighbour was looking after the girls. When Isabella appeared in the doorway, the children rushed to her with joyful cries. Alexander stopped involuntarily, feeling like a stranger.
Until Ava pointed at him:
‘Mum… this is the man who bought the chewing gum.’
Isabella wiped away her tears. There was no longer any anger in her eyes, only fatigue and caution.
‘Remember when I told you that Daddy had gone far away and didn’t know how to get back?’ she said quietly to her daughters.
The girls nodded.
‘He’s back.’
There was a pause.
‘Are you our dad?’ Chloe asked.
Alexander sat down, unable to hide his excitement.
‘Yes. And I’m going to stay with you.’
At first, they hesitated. Then Lily touched his cheek.
‘You look like us,’ she said in surprise.
She hugged him first, then the others pressed themselves against him. Alexander closed his eyes, feeling the warmth of their little hands. For the first time in many years, he felt truly alive.
Nothing became perfect instantly. There were conversations with psychologists, sleepless nights, Isabella’s cautious glances. He learned to be a father all over again: braiding hair, helping with homework, making pancakes in the morning.
He sold the cold mansion where his mother’s pride once reigned and bought a cosy house with a garden.
A year later, on the girls’ tenth birthday, the yard was filled with balloons and laughter. Alexander watched his daughters running on the grass, and Isabella approached him.
‘They’re happy,’ she said.
‘Because you saved them,’ he replied.
She looked at him intently.
‘You’ve changed.’
He smiled and ran to his daughters, who were already calling him to join in a water fight. Water splashed against his shirt, and their laughter sounded as if it were washing away years of pain.
One random red light had once almost robbed him of his family. But life had given him a second chance — and now he knew he would do anything to never lose it again.