The soft patter of Eli’s feet was her first alarm.

Leila stirred as the bedroom door creaked open. She didn’t even have to open her eyes to know who it was. Her son was many things, curious, vibrant, overly imaginative but quiet had never been one of them.

She blinked against the gentle morning light leaking through the blinds. “Eli?”

He padded over to her side of the bed, already in his little red socks, holding his favorite stuffed bear by one ear. “Mama…”

His voice was small. Hesitant.

Leila sat up immediately, brushing sleep from her eyes. “What’s wrong, baby?”

Eli crawled onto the bed and curled up beside her, his tiny arms clutching the bear tighter. His curls were a mess of sleep-tangles, and his big brown eyes looked unusually serious.

“I had a dream,” he whispered.

Leila's stomach tightened. “Was it a bad one?”

He nodded.

She wrapped an arm around him and pulled him close. “Want to tell me about it?”

He hesitated, chewing on his lower lip the way he always did when something confused him. “You know that man? The one with the suit and the car that smells like money?”

She blinked. Roman.

“Yes,” she said softly. “What about him?”

Eli looked up at her. “He was my daddy in the dream.”

Leila's breath caught in her throat.

“He was holding my hand and we were walking somewhere,” Eli continued, voice wobbling. “But then another man showed up and they started yelling at each other. And then… and then I wasn’t there anymore. Like I disappeared. Nobody could see me.”

“Oh, sweetheart,” she murmured, cradling him. “It was just a dream.”

“But it felt real,” he said with urgency. “Like… like I was gone for real and you couldn’t find me. You didn’t even know I was missing.”

Leila swallowed hard.

How could a five-year-old articulate the exact fear that haunted her every time she looked into his eyes?

She stroked his curls gently. “Listen to me, Eli. That will never happen. No matter who’s yelling or what happens around you, I will always see you. You will never disappear from me, okay?”

He nodded into her shoulder.

“And just because someone shows up in a dream,” she said carefully, “doesn’t mean they’re meant to be in your real life.”

“But dreams are sometimes signs,” he mumbled. “Like in my cartoons.”

Leila gave a watery chuckle. “Maybe in cartoons, baby. In real life, dreams just tell us what we’re afraid of. Or what we miss. Or what we hope for.”

Eli didn’t say anything else. Just pressed his face into her side until she kissed the top of his head and whispered, “Come on, let’s get ready for school.”

By the time they made it to the kitchen, the scent of brewing coffee and sizzling eggs filled the air.

Nathan stood by the stove, wearing flannel pajama pants and a navy blue hoodie. He glanced up as they walked in.

“Look who finally joined the land of the living,” he teased.

Leila smiled thinly, but Eli perked up and ran to him.

“Uncle Nate! Mama said I can tell you my dream!”

Nathan bent down and scooped him up effortlessly. “Did you ride on a dragon this time or was it a spaceship?”

Eli laughed, the earlier shadows in his voice already dissolving. “No! It was about that man, Roman!”

Leila stiffened as Nathan’s gaze flicked to hers.

“That so?” he asked casually, setting Eli down and ruffling his hair.

“Yeah, he was my dad and then he and another man were fighting and I disappeared!”

Nathan arched a brow. “Sounds intense.”

“It was,” Eli said seriously, grabbing his orange juice box from the counter.

Nathan handed her a steaming mug of coffee. “You okay?”

She nodded. “Yeah. Just… dream stuff.”

Their eyes met, and she could see he had questions he wouldn’t ask. Not yet.

“I’ll take him to school,” Nathan said.

But Leila shook her head. “No. I’ll take him today.”

Both Nathan and Eli looked surprised. That was Nathan’s job, their routine. Eli’s goodbye kisses were given in the passenger seat of Nathan’s old car, not in front of a classroom.

“You sure?” Nathan asked.

“Yeah. I need the fresh air.”

And space. And maybe, time to breathe.

Nathan gave a quiet nod, but she saw it in his eyes, the unease, the shift. Her refusal was small, but it meant something.

To all of them.

Nathan handed Eli his lunchbox and ushered him toward the hallway to grab his shoes.

Leila leaned against the kitchen counter, cradling her now-cool coffee, eyes distant.

Nathan stepped closer, voice low, careful. “You wanna tell me what’s really going on?”

She shook her head once, too quickly. “It’s nothing. Just a weird morning.”

“Leila.” His voice was gentler this time, firm but kind. “I heard what he said. About the dream. And I saw your face.”

She looked away. Her hand tightened around the mug.

“I’m scared,” she said finally, her voice barely above a whisper. “What if it’s a sign? What if Roman tries to take him?”

Nathan exhaled slowly. “Hey,” he said, stepping in front of her. “Look at me.”

She did.

“I don’t care who Roman Vance is,” he said steadily. “I don’t care how much money he has or what kind of dreams Eli’s having. He’s your son. He’s our boy. You’re not alone in this.”

Her lip trembled. “You think he’ll try to get custody?”

“If he finds out? Maybe. But we’re not going to let that happen.”

“We?” she asked softly.

He nodded. “We. Me and you. Whatever it takes.”

For a moment, she couldn’t speak. She just stared at him, this man who had no legal claim to Eli but had changed diapers, soothed nightmares, packed lunches, and taught him how to ride a bike. He wasn’t his father by blood, but in every other way that mattered…

“Thank you,” she said, the weight of the morning settling on her chest like a brick, yet a little lighter now.

Nathan reached out and brushed a strand of hair from her face. “You don’t have to thank me for loving that kid. Or for standing by you.”

Eli reappeared then, one shoe on and the other in his hand. “Can we go now, Mama?”

Leila wiped her eyes quickly and put on a smile. “Yes, baby. Let’s go.”

She took his hand, and as they stepped outside into the golden light of morning, she didn’t know what tomorrow held, but for today, just today, she wasn’t facing it alone.