Caroline’s Point of View
I zip up Liam’s jacket as he bounces on his toes, excitement radiating off him like heat.
“Are we almost there?” he asks for the third time in ten minutes, tugging on my sleeve as I close the trunk.
“Almost,” I smile, brushing hair from his forehead. “Be patient, sweetheart.”
Adrian slams the car door shut and looks over at us, his lips twitching in amusement. “He gets that from you, you know.”
“Impatience?” I raise a brow.
He shrugs. “Excitement.”
I roll my eyes and turn away so he won’t see my blush. I haven’t been to this lake since I was a teenager. It used to be my quiet place—the one spot that made me feel like I could breathe when everything else felt too loud.
Now I’m here again,
Caroline’s Point of ViewKnoxx pulls into the parking lot of Hill International, the headlights casting long, soft beams across the quiet pavement. It’s late—past dinner, past bedtime—but everything feels strangely suspended in warmth. Liam’s in the backseat humming, still sticky from dessert, holding his new paper airplane like it’s made of gold.I don’t want the night to end.Knoxx parks beside my car, and for a moment, we all just sit there. The silence between us isn’t heavy—it’s full of something else. Something good. Something almost like peace.“Thanks for dinner,” I say softly, turning to look at him. The overhead light makes his profile glow faintly—sharp jaw, tired eyes, lips that almost look like they want to say more.“Thanks for letting me be there,” he replies. “For him.
Caroline’s Point of ViewTime has a strange way of folding in on itself when I’m not paying attention. One minute, Knoxx is walking through my office door and Liam is jumping into his arms like he’s waited forever for that moment. The next… the sun is gone, and the windows reflect only our shadows.I glance at the clock and blink in disbelief. It’s past seven.Knoxx is still on the couch with Liam, helping him draw a superhero version of a dinosaur on the back of one of my monthly reports. There are crayon marks on my meeting notes and stickers on the armrest, and for some reason… I don’t mind.Liam yawns mid-laugh and rubs his stomach.“Mommy,” he mumbles dramatically. “I’m starving. My tummy sounds like a dragon.”Knoxx looks at me, grinning. “I think that’s code for dinne
Caroline’s Point of ViewIt’s a slow day at the office, but everything inside me is wired tight—like my body’s waiting for something to go wrong even when nothing has. I haven’t touched my lunch. I keep glancing at the clock every five minutes like I’m expecting it to shift faster just because I need it to.Liam is sitting on the couch by the windows, legs swinging as he builds something out of paper clips and rubber bands. He brought a little backpack of toys with him, but now he’s using office supplies like they’re the coolest thing in the world. Every few seconds, he hums to himself, a sound that somehow grounds me and tears me apart at the same time.I told him Knoxx would come today.I don’t know why I did. Maybe I wanted to see that bright-eyed hope again. Maybe I wanted to believe in it too. Or maybe I just… needed it. Needed to see
Caroline's Point of ViewI sit cross-legged on Liam’s bed, a worn picture book open across my thighs. The nightlight by his headboard casts soft shadows on the wall—little stars and moons spinning slowly like they’re trying to lull the world to sleep.Liam lies beside me, his toy dinosaur tucked under one arm, the other playing with the edge of his blanket. His eyes blink slowly, heavy with sleep, but he’s fighting it—like always. He never lets the day go without squeezing out every last drop of energy.I run my hand through his curls as I read aloud, voice gentle and warm even though my mind keeps drifting. I don’t even know what page we’re on anymore. Something about a bear and a forest. My mouth moves, but my heart’s not in the story. It’s caught somewhere else—somewhere deeper, somewhere harder.Then Liam turns toward me, eyes wide and d
Caroline’s Point of ViewThe doorbell rings just as I’m drying the last plate from breakfast. A soft, polite chime. Not the kind that feels urgent—just enough to draw attention.I wipe my hands on the dish towel and make my way to the door, my steps slow, unhurried. Liam is somewhere in the living room, building his fifth tower of the morning out of couch cushions and cereal boxes.When I open the door, there’s no one.Just a box.Brown, medium-sized, nothing particularly special about it at first glance. No delivery man in sight, no truck pulling away. Just the quiet morning and this box sitting at my doorstep.I look up and down the hallway.Empty.Not even the usual neighbor walking their dog.“Mommy!” Liam’s voice rings out from behind me, pounding footsteps following close. “What is it? Is it
Caroline’s Point of ViewI don’t know why I say yes.Maybe it’s exhaustion. Maybe it’s guilt. Maybe it’s the way Knoxx’s voice cracked on the phone when he said Liam’s name for the first time in weeks.But more than anything… maybe it’s because when I looked over and saw Liam crouched on the floor, pushing his red toy car over a pile of cereal boxes he’d made into ramps, my heart tightened in a way I couldn’t ignore.[Please, Caroline. Just one hour. I won’t say anything you don’t want me to. I just… I need to be near him. Please.]The man on the other end of the line sounded nothing like the Knoxx Wayne the world saw—he didn’t sound confident, or cocky, or even certain. He sounded stripped. Like a man unraveling thread by thread.I told him I’d think about