Damien lifted a brow. “Am I?”
Dahlia gestured toward the room where Maya slept. “You look like you’d burn the whole world down if anything happened to her.”
Damien didn’t hesitate. He simply met his mother’s eyes and spoke the truth. “I would.”
Dahlia stepped closer and gently placed her hand on his arm. The warmth of the gesture seemed to ground him, a soft anchor in the middle of the morning's cold reality.
“I know you would, son,” she said softly, her touch steady. She looked up at him, her eyes mirroring his intensity but filled with a warmth only a mother could carry.
“But remember, you don’t have to fight alone.” She gently squeezed his arm, her voice steady and sure. “We are all in this together, and we’re going to make sure we win.”
Damien looked down at her hand, the weight
