** Paige’s POV **

For a while, neither of us moves. The air between us feels heavy with the ghosts of Mum’s laughter, Dad’s quiet warmth, all the pieces of a life that suddenly don’t fit the same way anymore. But underneath it all, there’s comfort too. Poppy’s hand in mine. The quiet promise that we’ll face whatever comes next together. That nothing has really changed.

After a while, she exhales softly, leaning back in her chair. “You know,” she says, her voice a little ...