Benjamin stood in the doorway, unseen. The sight hit him like a physical blow.
His sons. The boys who woke up screaming from nightmares. The boys who stared blankly at walls. They were alive. They were children again.
And it wasn’t him who had done it. It was this stranger. This young woman who was down on the floor, ruining her uniform, making a fool of herself just to see them smile.
Jane collapsed onto the floor, feigning exhaustion. “Oh no! The horse needs an apple! The horse is out of gas!“
The three boys piled onto her, a puppy-pile of limbs and giggles. “Get up, Horsey! Get up!“
Jane laughed, a warm, genuine sound. She hugged them close, not caring about the mess.
Then, she looked up.
Her eyes met Benjamin’s.
The laughter died in her throat. She scrambled to sit up, her face turning crimson. She saw the billionaire CEO standing there, face unreadable, tie undone. She saw the mess. She saw the “unprofessional” behavior.
“Mr. Scott!” Jane gasped, trying to smooth her disheveled hair. “I… I am so sorry. I didn’t know you would be home early. We were just… I’ll clean this up immediately.“
She began frantically gathering pillows. “Boys, help me clean up, your father is home.“
The boys froze. The light in their eyes dimmed instantly. They looked at Benjamin with fear, expecting the silence to return. Expecting to be sent to their rooms.
Benjamin felt his heart break all over again seeing that fear.
He walked into the room.
“Leave it,” Benjamin said. His voice was thick with emotion.
Jane froze, holding a pillow. “Sir?“
“I said, leave it.“
Benjamin walked to the center of the rug. He looked down at his sons. He looked at Jane, who was trembling slightly.
Slowly, the billionaire got down on his knees.
He didn’t care about his $5,000 suit. He didn’t care about the dust. He knelt on the rug, eye-level with his boys.
“Daddy?” Liam whispered.
Benjamin looked at Jane. “You made them laugh,” he choked out, tears finally spilling over his cheeks. “I… I haven’t heard that sound since Amanda…“
He couldn’t finish the sentence.
Jane’s expression softened from fear to compassion. “They have beautiful laughs, Mr. Scott.“
Benjamin looked at Mason, Ethan, and Liam. He opened his arms. “I missed you guys.“
For a second, they hesitated. Then, Mason launched himself into his father’s arms. Then Ethan. Then Liam.
Benjamin buried his face in their necks, smelling the sweat and the childhood scent he had missed so much. He sobbed. He let it all out—the stress, the anger, the grief. He held his sons, and for the first time in eight months, he didn’t feel like he was drowning.
The New Chapter
After a long moment, Benjamin wiped his eyes. He looked at Jane, who was quietly trying to leave the room to give them privacy.
“Jane,” he called out.
She stopped. “Yes, sir?“
Benjamin stood up, lifting Liam with him. He looked at the young woman who had saved his family.
“You’re not the maid anymore,” Benjamin said firmly.
Jane blinked. “I… I’m fired?“
“No,” Benjamin smiled, a genuine smile that reached his eyes. “You’re the Nanny. Or the Governess. Whatever you want to be called. And I’m doubling your salary. But I have one condition.“
“What is it?” Jane asked, stunned.
Benjamin picked up one of the spatulas from the floor. He handed it to Jane.
“You have to teach me how to be the Sheriff.“
The boys gasped. “Daddy, you want to play?“
“I do,” Benjamin said. “I really do.“
Jane smiled, her eyes tearing up. “Okay, Sheriff. But you have to catch the horse first.“
For the rest of the afternoon, calls from Manhattan went to voicemail. The stock market closed without Benjamin Scott watching. In a sunroom in Greenwich, a father crawled on his hands and knees, chasing his sons, rebuilding his life one laugh at a time.
He knew the pain of losing Amanda would never fully go away. But looking at his boys, he knew the silence was broken. And he would never let it return.
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