Rain poured harder. Sophie hugged her stuffed rabbit tighter, whispering, “I’ll sleep anywhere… even in your doghouse.”

For a long moment, Ethan said nothing. Then he stepped closer, voice quieter now.

“What’s your name?”

“Sophie.”

“Where’s your family, Sophie?”Family games

She looked down. “Gone.”

The thunder rolled overhead. Ethan took a deep breath, then said something that surprised even himself.

“You can’t stay out here. Come inside.”

Her eyes widened in disbelief. “Inside?”

“Yes, inside.”

And as the mansion’s heavy doors opened, letting in the storm’s cold air and a trembling child, Ethan Hale — the man who built walls around his heart — had no idea his life was about to change forever.

Inside, Sophie stood silently in the grand foyer, dripping water onto the marble floor. Crystal chandeliers sparkled above her, and soft music played somewhere in the background. She looked tiny in that enormous space, as if she didn’t belong in the same world.