Morning arrived gently, wrapped in pale sunlight that spilled through the tall windows and painted the breakfast room in soft gold.
The house no longer felt like a fortress on alert.
It felt lived in. Warm. Breathing.
Lena sat at the table with one of the twins cradled in her arms, her hair loosely tied, her expression relaxed in a way that had only begun to appear in recent days. Zayn stood behind her chair, one hand resting lightly on her shoulder as he spoke to the nanny about the boys’ feeding schedule — his tone calm, attentive, effortlessly present.
There was nothing dramatic about the moment.
No grand gestures.
Only small, quiet tendernesses that had begun to weave themselves into daily life.
When Lena shifted slightly, he adjusted the baby’s blanket without thinking.
When s
