Maya stood at the center of the entry hall, the quiet pressing in as Dahlia’s words settled slowly into her chest.
This is where I go when I need silence.
The meaning lingered, heavier than the sentence itself. It wrapped around her, unfamiliar and unexpectedly intimate.
“Aunt Dahlia…” Maya hesitated, fingers curling slightly at her sides. “You… you mean you…”
Dahlia’s expression softened. She gave a low, gentle chuckle—not dismissive, not amused, just honest. “Need silence too?” she said. “Of course I do.”
Her gaze drifted briefly around the hall, as though the walls themselves held memories.
“Commitment isn’t easy, Maya. It’s two completely different people choosing—again and again—to live alongside each other. To understand, to endure.” A small pause. “It isn’t sparkles and cheers
