The house settled into a quiet that felt almost sacred. Elijah poured himself a glass of water, the rim tapping softly against the counter. I leaned on the doorway of the kitchen, letting the stillness wrap around me like warm cloth. For the first time in a long while, it felt like the air inside this house wasn’t carrying tension. It wasn’t heavy or waiting to break. It simply existed, soft and steady.

“She fell asleep fast,” Elijah murmured as he handed me a glass.

“She was ...