Allison's POV
The weather had finally turned warm, pulling people out of their homes like moths to porch lights.
Lily had recently become obsessed with the sandbox at the tiny park a few blocks from our apartment.
She'd spend hours out there with her little plastic shovel, digging holes and filling them back up like it was her full-time job—the kind of intense focus you'd expect from someone trying to disarm a time bomb with their bare hands.
Pure childhood bliss. No filters. No deadlines. Just sand and imagination.
After dinner, she grabbed my hand with that determined little tug that left zero room for debate.
"Sandbox time, Mommy!" she declared, already halfway to the door.
The walk from Paddington Senior Apartments to the park took maybe ten minutes—just long eno
