Chapter 7: Flight Over the Past**
The roar of the helicopter blades drowned out the noise of the city as the aircraft lifted off the roof of the Aurelia Tower. Leo pressed his face against the glass window, watching the skyscraper shrink into the grid of streets below.
Damian sat beside him, watching his son's reflection. For years, he had believed that conquering the city was the ultimate measure of a man’s worth. Yet looking out at the sprawling horizon, he realized that every glass tower beneath them was hollow compared to the warmth of his son's small hand in his.
“Did she tell you about me?” Damian asked, his voice trembling beneath the aviation headset.
Leo turned back from the window. “She said you were an artist who learned how to build real buildings. She said you got lost in your own blueprint, but you’d remember the foundation eventually.”
Damian swallowed the lump in his throat. Sarah had never spoken ill of him. While he had barricaded himself behind lawyers and boardrooms, she had spent eight years teaching their son that love was patient and worth waiting for.
“I was a coward, Leo,” Damian confessed honestly.
“Mom said you were just scared of failing,” Leo replied softly. “She told me courage isn't not being scared. It’s walking into the big building anyway.”
May you like
Damian pulled Leo close as the helicopter surged through the afternoon clouds, racing toward the hospital three counties away.
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