Samuel’s fingers tightened slightly around the glass of milk, his dark eyes flickering with a faint, unreadable light. Nora, sensing the shift in his mood, held her breath. The silence between them stretched, and she began to regret her words. She scrambled to think of something to explain herself, but Samuel spoke first.

"Alright," he said simply.

He agreed.

Nora let out a quiet sigh of relief, quickly reaching out to take the milk with both hands, ...