Rain fell softly outside the window, the scent of damp earth drifting through the small crack in the glass.In the living room, Althea sat curled up on the sofa, a blanket draped across her lap. Her gaze was fixed on the faint flicker of the fireplace, its glow casting quiet warmth across the dim ro
“Mommy, look! Grace is smiling!”Josh’s excited voice broke the morning calm that filled the cozy living room.Althea looked up from the armchair where she was nursing her baby. Her face was soft, though exhaustion lingered in her eyes. “Yes, sweetheart… she always smiles when she hears your voice.”
“He was found this morning.”Chris’s voice was hoarse, heavy with the weight of emotions he was barely holding together. The entire Callister living room fell silent. The only sound that followed was Lydia’s faint sob from the corner of the room.“Where…?” Daniel’s voice broke the quiet, barely abov
That night, the hospital room was painfully still. The only sound came from the steady beeping of the heart monitor, blending softly with Althea’s uneven breathing. Sleep refused to come. Her trembling hand reached for the phone on the small bedside table.The news was still playing on the screen —
The sky above the garden was impossibly clear. Sunlight filtered through the canopy of leaves, scattering golden patterns across the petals that swayed gently in the breeze. Althea sat on a wooden bench, dressed in a simple white dress. Her heart felt light—peaceful—in a way she hadn’t felt in so lo
“Congratulations, the surgery was successful.”The doctor’s relieved voice echoed through the corridor as he stepped out of the operating room. Everyone shot to their feet—Riana, Kate, Lydia, and Daven, who hadn’t moved an inch from where he’d been standing.“How’s Althea?” Daven asked quickly.“She