Edwin sat at the end of the table like he didn’t want to take up space.
Dora asked him something small—about work, I think.
He answered.
Lyra followed with another question.
Jenny stayed quiet for a while.
Then, halfway through, she spoke too.
It wasn’t easy. It wasn’t warm.
But it wasn’t distant either.
I watched it all quietly.
Letting it unfold, because this wasn’t something I could control.
It never was.
Later that night, after the dishes were done and the house had settled, I stepped outside.
Edwin was on the porch again.
I leaned against the railing. “You’re not off the hook,” I said.
“Yeah.”
“They’re going to have questions.”
“I’m ready.”
That night felt quieter, lighter in a way I hadn’t expected.
Not because everything was fixed—but because everything was finally out in the open.
There was no more wondering.
Just… what comes next.
And for the first time in a long time, we were all in the same place to figure that out.
Together.
