Monday arrived quietly, the kind of early morning that felt suspended between night and day. The sky was still painted in soft shades of blue and gray, the air cool and calm, as if the world itself was holding its breath.
It was the day.
The day they would pick up Isabella.
The day they would leave for their three-day vacation to Disneyland.
Technically, the drive was less than two hours from their house—easy enough to do in a single day—but Daniel had insisted they book a hotel nearby. He wanted Isabella to have the full experience: waking up close to the park, going to bed with fireworks still echoing in her ears, and falling asleep knowing she would wake up and do it all over again.
Marian stood near the front door, double-checking their bags for the third time.
Clothes.
Toiletri
