The house felt different in the quiet mornings now. The rain had become a soft background hum rather than something dramatic, and the empty spaces where Amina used to leave her shoes or her favorite mug reminded us both how much had shifted in such a short time.
Elias was already awake when I opened my eyes. He wasn’t reaching for me with that familiar urgency anymore. Instead, he lay on his side facing me, one arm loosely draped over my waist, just watching my face in the gray morning light filtering through the curtains.
“Morning,” he said softly. His thumb brushed my cheek. “You were frowning in your sleep again.”
I turned toward him, resting my forehead against his chest. “I keep dreaming about the day Noah walks through the door. About what we’ll say. About how long we can keep pre
