It wasn’t a toy. The object was a small, intricately carved wooden box, no bigger than a deck of cards. Maya hesitated for a moment, glancing around the nursery as if expecting Nathaniel to appear out of nowhere, before carefully extracting it. The box was surprisingly heavy and seemed aged, its surface worn smooth, as if it had been handled many times before.
Curiosity piqued, Maya opened the box to reveal a delicate locket resting on a bed of deep blue velvet. The locket was ornate, its surface etched with tiny, detailed engravings that caught the light in a subtle, mesmerizing way. Inside, two tiny photographs were encased. One was of a woman who seemed to share Lily’s striking blue eyes and gentle smile. The other was of a man, stern and composed, a younger version of Nathaniel himself.
Maya’s thoughts raced as she pieced together the fragments of a story she hadn’t known existed. Perhaps this woman held a significant place in Nathaniel’s past, explaining the intense yet conflicted way he interacted with his daughter. The locket was clearly cherished, a relic of a life once shared and now shadowed by Nathaniel’s aloof demeanor.
