Lucian
When I returned, Mara was fast asleep, curled around Richard’s small frame like he was her own flesh and blood.
And in a way—he was. Not by blood, but by heart.
She had promised to love him, to protect him, even though he was the living reminder of the worst mistake I’d ever made. Of Tina. Of everything that came before us.
Yet here she was—showing me every day what love really looked like. Not the kind that demands or forgets, but the kind that chooses to stay.
Fate gave me a rare kind of woman. Strong. Grounded. Soft where it mattered, steel where it counted.
I watched her for a moment, just breathing, grateful. Then I linked Jennifer to come and take Richard to his room.
When Jennifer entered, she moved carefully, her arms practiced, gentle. Still, Mara stirred the moment
