He grows quiet then, his eyes lingering on my face for a long, unbroken stretch of time. The silence between us isn't uncomfortable; it's thick with years of shared survival, unspoken relief, and a deep, unshakeable love. He doesn't look away, taking me in with an intensity that makes my breath catch slightly in my throat.
"What?" I ask, tilting my head. “Have I got food on my face?"
Dad smiles, a soft, immensely tender expression that completely transforms his hard, weathered face. The harsh lines etched around his eyes soften, and the fierce MC President simply fades away, leaving only my father.
"No," he says, his voice dropping into a gentle murmur. "You just... you remind me so much of your mother right now, sweetheart. It's almost uncanny."
My heart aches with a sweet, sudden nos
