As soon as the door slowly, almost silently opened, I heard the faint sound of light footsteps — cautious, hesitant, as if the person behind the door was afraid to disturb the peace of the room.
In the next moment, a narrow strip of light from the hallway slid softly across the floor, and the slender figure of a girl appeared in the doorway. Rubiella, dressed in a light pastel-colored dress, stood for a few seconds, hesitating to enter, as if gathering her courage.
But as soon as our eyes met, she suddenly broke into a run and rushed towards me — so fast that I barely had time to raise my arms.
"Auntie!" her voice sounded excited, almost breaking into a sob. "Are you okay?"
She wrapped her tiny arms around me with unexpected strength, as if she were afraid that if she let go for even a moment, I would disappear.
Her warm breath touched my neck, and her thin shoulders trembled slightly, either from excitement or relief.
