« Please don’t yell at him, » she said softly. « It was my idea. I just wanted to see him smile again. »
« You think you know what’s best for my son? » Marcus retorted icily. « You’re just a servant’s daughter. You have no business interfering in— »
« You don’t understand anything, Dad! » Tommy interrupted, tears welling in his eyes. « I’m tired of being treated like glass. Tired of the doctors, the teachers, everyone who tells me I’ll never be normal. With Luna, I forget all that. With her, I become myself again. »
Marcus staggered, stunned. This wasn’t the fragile boy he thought he was protecting. This was a child demanding the right to exist fully.
At that moment, Maria, Luna’s mother, rushed in, her apron covered in flour. Upon seeing the scene, she turned pale.
« Sir, forgive her, » she begged. « She won’t bother young Master Tommy anymore. »
« No! » Tommy cried, his voice breaking. « If Luna leaves, I’m leaving too! I don’t care about this house, or your money. I just want a friend! »
The words hit like a ton of bricks. Marcus felt his certainties crumble. His son would rather give up everything than lose this friendship.
« Mr. Blackwood, » Luna said, weeping, « your son isn’t broken. He just needs us to believe in him. I do. »
Silence filled the room. Marcus felt his pride struggle, but deep inside, another voice whispered. He thought of Sarah, his deceased wife, who always knew how to light up their son’s life. And now this child was bringing back the laughter he himself had lost.
Marcus sat heavily in an armchair, overwhelmed by Tommy’s words. « You have everything a child could want, » he said in a hoarse voice. « The best teachers, the best doctors, all the toys— »
« But not a friend, » Tommy interrupted, tears streaming down his cheeks. « Luna sees me, not my wheelchair. And you, Dad… when did you last see me? »
Marcus felt his throat tighten. He no longer remembered. He had stopped seeing his son, seeing only his disability.
Luna, her voice trembling but sincere, added: « Mr. Blackwood, your son is brave and generous. He tells me stories, he helps me read, he makes me laugh. Isn’t that what matters? »
Maria tried to pull her daughter away, but Marcus raised his hand, gently stopping her. For the first time, he truly looked at Luna – no longer as a servant, but as the one who had brought a smile back to his son’s face.
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