89. A Lifetime
Derian
After dinner, the Morrisons move to the living room with the guests. The children and Candace go to their rooms, leaving the house in a peaceful silence, as if the night itself were breathing slowly. It was then that Susan invited me for a walk in the garden.
The air is filled with the sweet and fresh scent of freshly watered flowers, and under the starry sky, the garden looks like it belongs on an old postcard. We walk in silence, step by step, as if each movement could break something fragile between us. We don't say anything for several minutes. Only the soft crunch of the gravel under our feet and the distant murmur of the wind fill the space.
Suddenly, Susan lets out a deep sigh. She stops and turns to me. She places her hands on her waist and looks at me int
