Nina

I sit down at the breakfast table, my eyes flicking around at the empty seats, the lingering heaviness from last night still hanging in the air. My family is here, but it feels like something’s missing. The house is quieter than usual, and it’s starting to feel too damn big for just us.

For the first time, I really feel my mother’s absence in this table.

Callie’s at the counter, flipping through her phone, looking distracted. Lucas is half-eating a piece of toast, half-poking ...