“Sir… My Mom Didn’t Come Home Last Night.”

Alejandro caught her before her head touched the ground.
She was ice-cold.
Too light.
Too still.

He wrapped her in his coat, holding her against his chest as if sheer will could warm her.

—“You’re safe now,” he murmured, voice trembling.
—“I’m not leaving you.”

Inside the house, the fire glowed, the air smelled like wood and warmth—an insult compared to the half-frozen child in his arms.

—“María! Blankets—now! And call the doctor!”

The housekeeper froze, shocked.

—“Where did she come from?!”

—“It doesn’t matter,” he said sharply. “She’s a child. Just help her.”

As he rubbed her small hands gently, a memory stabbed him:

A winter.
A phone call.
A hospital hallway.
A woman he loved slipping beyond his reach.

He had been too late.

Not again.
Not this child.

When Lucía finally opened her eyes, she saw a stranger with a perfect shirt, an elegant watch… and eyes that knew grief far too well.

—“Where am I?” she whispered.

—“Safe,” he said softly. “My name is Alejandro.”

She nodded weakly.

—“I’m… Lucía.”

He already knew.
But hearing her say it made something inside him soften.

—“It’s a beautiful name.”

Then her fear returned, raw and trembling:

—“My mom… she never came home.”

She told him everything—the factory, the bus stop, the cold, the adults who ignored her. Her tiny voice broke his chest open.

He stood up with a decision burning through him.

—“I’m going to find your mother,” he said, and even his housekeeper looked startled by the conviction in his voice. “I promise you.”

At that moment, soft footsteps appeared at the stairs.

His son, Daniel—eight years old—looked at the scene with sleepy, worried eyes.

—“Dad… what happened?”

Alejandro’s voice became gentler than anyone at his company would ever believe possible.

—“Nothing bad, buddy. Lucía’s safe now.”

The children looked at each other.
Two little souls carrying losses they barely understood.
A quiet connection sparked between them.

That night, Alejandro made a choice that would change all their lives.

He would not be too late again.

And he went out into the storm.