Veronica's eyelids felt heavy as she drifted into a light sleep during the car ride. The uncomfortable position and her restless night made genuine rest impossible. When consciousness returned, she caught Marco withdrawing his hand from where it had been resting near her shoulder. Rather than question the gesture, she simply rubbed her eyes and asked, "Have we arrived?"
Within moments, their vehicle came to a stop outside the hospital entrance. Marco carefully lifted Cecelia from the backseat, cradling the sleeping child against his chest. His movements were deliberate and gentle, avoiding any sudden motion that might wake her. "Do you need a ride home?" he offered, glancing back at Veronica.
She declined with a slight shake of her head. "I can manage the drive myself." Marco accepted her refusal without argument, disappearing through the hospital doors with his daughter.
The drive home felt longer than usual, her mind replaying fragments of the camping trip and Marco's unexpected tenderness toward his child. Her phone buzzed just as she neared her neighborhood, displaying a message from Cullen that made her stomach tighten with familiar anxiety.
His text was characteristically brief: "Grandma plans to visit your family later. She expects all three of us to accompany her to the Murray residence."
The prospect of another family gathering filled her with dread, but avoiding it would only create more complications. She pulled over to call him rather than continue the conversation through messages.
Cullen answered on the first ring, his voice carrying its usual measured tone. "Yes?"
"I'll collect Sabrina and bring her directly," Veronica stated, already anticipating his response. Experience had taught her that Cullen would find some excuse to avoid accompanying them, just as he had countless times before. Her family members had made their feelings about him abundantly clear, and the mutual discomfort was palpable during their rare encounters.
A pause stretched between them before Cullen replied simply, "Understood."
The call ended abruptly, leaving Veronica to navigate the remaining distance to his villa while wrestling with the familiar knot of tension in her chest.
Sabrina waited on the front steps when Veronica arrived, a small backpack clutched in her arms like armor. The moment their eyes met, the child pressed herself against Cullen's side, deliberately avoiding Veronica's gaze. The obvious rejection stung more than Veronica cared to admit.
She assumed Sabrina's coldness stemmed from disappointment over the skiing trip that never materialized, another promise that circumstances had forced her to break.
Cullen's scrutiny was immediate and uncomfortable. "You look exhausted. Rough night?"
The observation caught her off guard. Without makeup to mask the shadows under her eyes and her hair still bearing traces of yesterday's outdoor adventure, her fatigue was apparently more obvious than she'd realized.
"Something like that," she replied evasively, hoping to avoid detailed explanations.
Carlos, ever attentive to household matters, approached with genuine concern. "If you're having trouble sleeping, we have some excellent lavender incense that might help. I could place some in your room."
"That's thoughtful, but unnecessary," Veronica responded, then felt compelled to explain. "I went camping last night. Sleeping in a tent took some adjustment."
Carlos's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Camping in this weather? I hope you didn't catch your death of cold out there."
Despite her lingering melancholy, Veronica managed a genuine smile. "It was actually quite enjoyable. There were snowball fights, snowman competitions, and games around the campfire."
The other campers had indeed seemed to relish every moment of their winter adventure. Their laughter and easy camaraderie had only emphasized her own sense of isolation, even surrounded by people.
Cullen folded his newspaper with deliberate precision, his dark eyes studying her with an intensity that made her skin prickle. Something unreadable flickered across his features.
Sabrina's reaction was immediate and dramatic. Her small face crumpled with renewed indignation. Not only had Veronica failed to take her skiing, but now she'd gone camping without her too. The injustice of missing out on such adventures was clearly unbearable.
The child grabbed her backpack and stormed toward the staircase, her small frame radiating wounded pride.
Veronica opened her mouth to address the tantrum, but Cullen's voice cut through the air first. "Sabrina, come back here immediately."
His tone remained perfectly level, devoid of anger or threat, yet it carried an authority that brought the child to an immediate halt. Sabrina's foot froze on the bottom step, her small shoulders tense with conflicted emotions.
Several heartbeats passed in silence before Sabrina slowly turned around, her defiance crumbling under her father's steady gaze. She reluctantly retraced her steps, dragging the backpack behind her like a security blanket.
Instead of approaching Veronica as expected, Sabrina positioned herself beside Cullen's chair. Her small hand found his larger one, fingers intertwining as she gazed up at him with pleading eyes.
"Daddy, couldn't you come with us today?" The question emerged sweet and hopeful, tinged with the desperate desire to avoid being alone with Veronica.
The request hung in the air between them, loaded with implications that made Veronica's chest tighten. Cullen's expression remained unreadable as he considered his daughter's plea, while Veronica found herself caught between hope and resignation, unsure which outcome would prove more challenging to navigate.