The Mona Lisa’s Gift

I woke to the sound of rain on the window and the faint buzz of Clara's phone alarm going off for the third time. She was already out of bed, pacing the room in that rushed rhythm that had become her morning soundtrack — heels clicking, drawers opening, the hair dryer humming for a few frantic seconds before cutting off."Morning," I muttered, though she didn't answer. She was halfway through buttoning her blouse, a sleek navy one I'd never seen before. Probably new. Probably expensive."Morning," she said finally, distracted, glancing at her watch. "I've got an early meeting with the investors. Can you get Lily ready for school?"I nodded. That's what I did these days — nodded, smiled, tried not to sound like I missed her. "Yeah, I'll handle it."She gave me a quick peck on the cheek, already moving toward the door. "Thanks, love you," she said automatically, the way people say cheers to the barista who hands them coffee. Then she was gone — the front door closing like a full stop at the end of a long sentence.I stared at the empty space she left behind, the faint smell of her perfume mixing with rain and toast. It used to feel like home. Lately, it just felt… quiet."Dad?" a small voice came from down the hall. "Where's Mummy?"I turned and saw Lily, hair messy, her tiny pajamas covered in cartoon cats. "She had to go to work, sweetheart. But I'm making pancakes."That earned me a sleepy smile. "With chocolate chips?""Always."We ate together, just the two of us, her feet swinging under the chair, syrup dripping down her fingers. She told me about a drawing she made at school — a family of three holding hands under a bright yellow sun. She drew Mummy taller than me. I didn't tell her I noticed.After I dropped her off at school, I came back to the flat. The silence hit me again — the kind that hums just beneath the noise of the city outside. Clara's things were everywhere: her laptop, her work files, a half-finished glass of green juice on the counter. The life of a woman too busy living to notice what she's leaving behind.I spent most of the morning answering emails and scrolling through job listings. My freelance work had slowed down, and the bills didn't. By noon, I decided to take a walk.That's when I saw it — the antique shop on the corner of Camden High Street. The kind of place you walk past a hundred times and never notice until one day it feels like it's been waiting for you.Inside, it smelled of dust, varnish, and old stories. Paintings lined the walls — portraits, landscapes, a few eerie still-lifes. But one picture drew me in from across the room.It was a replica of the Mona Lisa. Not the exact same — something about the eyes, the faint smirk, felt… different. Her gaze seemed warmer, almost alive."Beautiful, isn't she?" said the shopkeeper, an older man with silver hair and eyes too sharp to be kind."Yeah," I said, stepping closer. "There's something strange about her. Feels like she's looking at me."The man chuckled softly. "That's what good art does — looks back."I laughed, but my eyes didn't leave the painting. The woman in the picture seemed to know something I didn't. A secret. A promise."How much?" I asked.He told me, and it was more than I should've spent. But I bought it anyway.By the time I got home, the rain had stopped. The city glowed under a thin film of mist, car lights blurring like brushstrokes on wet glass. I carried the painting under my arm, wrapped in brown paper.I hung it in the living room above the fireplace. The moment it was up, the whole space felt different — quieter, yet fuller somehow. The woman's eyes followed me no matter where I stood.Lily came home an hour later, running in with her backpack bouncing against her shoulders. "Daddy! You got a new picture!" she said, standing in front of it, her mouth open in awe."What do you think?" I asked."She's pretty," she said softly. "But she looks sad."I crouched beside her. "Yeah… maybe she's just lonely."Lily looked at me, then at the painting again. "She doesn't have a family."That hit me harder than it should have. I ruffled her hair, trying to smile. "Well, she doesnow. She's part of ours."That night, Clara came home late. It was past ten. I was half-asleep on the sofa, a movie playing quietly in the background. She dropped her handbag on the counter and exhaled."Long day?" I asked."The longest," she said, kicking off her heels. Her eyes landed on the new painting. "When did we get that?""This afternoon. Picked it up from a shop near Camden."She stared at it for a moment, then shrugged. "It's lovely. A bit creepy, though.""Yeah," I said with a small laugh. "That's what I like about it."She leaned over and kissed my forehead, distracted, already checking her phone. "I'm going to shower. Don't wait up, okay?"She disappeared down the hall, and I sat there alone again, the flicker of the TV casting blue light over the walls. I looked at the painting.For a second — I swear — her eyes shimmered. The faint smile seemed to deepen, almost like she was responding to me.blinked, shook my head, told myself it was the wine, the tiredness, the city lights playing tricks. But when I turned the TV off, the room felt… charged. Like someone else was there.I walked up close to the painting. The woman's gaze was calm, inviting. The silence around her was thick, alive."Goodnight," I said quietly, feeling stupid as the words left my mouth.But for a moment — just a flicker — I thought I saw her lips move.That night, I dreamed of her. Not as a painting, but as a woman standing in our living room — long dark hair, soft eyes, the faintest smile. She looked right at me and whispered, "Daniel…"When I woke, the first light of dawn was filtering through the curtains. The house was silent except for the hum of the fridge and the distant rumble of the city outside.Clara's side of the bed was empty. She'd already gone.I got up, walked to the living room, and stopped cold.The smell of pancakes hung faintly in the air. Lily's breakfast plate sat on the table — empty but sticky with syrup. And next to it, a small vase of fresh daisies I didn't remember buying.But the painting — the painting looked exactly the same.Only now the woman's faint smile was just a little bit wider.