Sienna’s pov

The smell of garlic and herbs filled Daniel’s kitchen, a comforting warmth pushing back the chill of the past few days. It was just us tonight, the kids with a sitter, a rare moment of peace that felt both earned and fragile. After Leo’s sweet, unexpected visit to Daniel, and the talk at the restaurant, a different kind of calm had settled. Not the uneasy calm before a storm, but the quiet after one, when the air felt clean and the ground solid again.

I chopped ...