Aaron
I don’t know how long I stood there, holding her in my arms.
My sister.
My little sister.
The very soul that had haunted my dreams for years, whose absence had carved a permanent hollow inside my chest.
She was warm and real.
Not a figment of childhood memory or whispered family stories. Not the echo of a lullaby sung too long ago. She was right here in my arms trembling, hesitant, but alive.
And the moment I held her, something inside of me snapped back into place. As though time had folded itself and restored a piece of my heart I hadn’t even realized had been missing all along.
Darya.
Tears pricked the corners of my eyes.
I blinked them back quickly, not wanting to overwhelm her, but it was useless.
One slipped free, tracing a slow path down my cheek.
I didn’t car
