Cardboard and scraps of wood held it together, and a crooked sign promised wonders for the price of a single coin. The girl wore a faded overall and stared back at him without the slightest hint of fear. Intrigued, he rolled closer.
“If you heal me,” he said with open sarcasm, “I’ll adopt you.”
He never imagined that minutes later, his name would dominate national headlines.
Lucas Bennett crossed the park with practiced authority, back straight, chin lifted. Three years earlier, a private helicopter crash had crushed his spine. He survived, but gratitude never followed. Instead, bitterness settled deep inside him.
Since then, his life had been ruled by contracts, power, and control. He mocked destiny, laughed at faith, and believed miracles were excuses for the weak. As he moved along the path, he barked into his phone, humiliating an executive over delays in a multimillion-dollar deal.
Ending the call with irritation, Lucas noticed something out of place among the benches and trees. Beneath an old oak stood a tiny stall. Behind it, a dark-skinned girl with braided hair carefully positioned a battered doll, her movements almost ceremonial.