Sarah POVThe walls of the bedroom glowed with a warm, buttery hue from the soft sun peeking in through the silk drapes. The room felt still; different from silence, still in the stretch of time that slow, sleepy mornings hold. I could hear Gabriel's cooing from down the hall, the sweet little sounds he made when he was awake enough to desire attention, but not quite awake enough to express his desire in a forceful manner, as if he was silently reminding everything of his presence on Earth.Alessandro rustled awake and, without a word, slithered his arms around my waist. The way he held me, slow and with familiarity, felt like something his body already knew how to do.As if he found it instinctive to stretch for me in sleep, to find me in the quiet.His warmth pressed into my back, steady and grounding. I didn’t move. I didn’t speak. I let myself to relax into the security of it, inhaling the warmth of his presence while dulling the sharpness of my thoughts.I breathed him in. Tha
Adrian’s POVI was unable to sleep the previous night. The hours stretched into one another, an indistinct dark haze, interrupted only by the faint clanging of metal doors and the uneasy movement of fellow inmates.Today, Gabriel turns one.My son. My blood.And I’m not there.Morning air was chilly and gray. There was no shelter from the cold provided by the thin blanket. I looked at my hands while sitting on the edge of the cot with my elbows resting on my knees. Their appearance had changed, they were smaller, their skin was tauter over their bones, and they had little tremors that never truly went away.I wondered what Gabriel’s hands look like. Small, plump hands perhaps, reaching for cake, spreading icing all over.Somewhere nearby, in a cozy apartment filled with joy and brightness, they’re rejoicing. Sarah will put him in something fresh, perhaps a small white shirt with buttons she selected thoughtfully.She’ll hold him on her hip, press kisses into his soft hair.And him,
Sarah POVBright morning sunshine filled the floor, reflecting off Gabriel's toys: small blocks, soft plush toys, and that old blue truck he would never throw away.I should have been used to this mess by now - bumping through a haze to get to the kettle. Every day still felt like a fresh start. Like this day, somehow forgot how to tire me.Something felt off today… My body felt heavy. Not just tired - heavy. It felt as if I was dragging myself through fog.I had a dull throb occurring behind my eyes, and my stomach has been unsettled ever since I woke up.Alessandro was observing this. He consistently did.“Promise me you’ll relax today,” he murmured into my hair, placing a warm mug in my hands.Always have chamomile tea.I pressed against him for a moment longer than normal, anchoring myself in his scent, fresh skin, soap, and a subtle hint of coffee. The scent of home. “I will,” I replied, although the grin I offered didn’t truly reach my eyes.“Just a long week. I’m fine.”He didn
Sarah’s POVEster’s Apartment, New YorkThe city beyond the window of Ester's apartment has started to sparkle, covered with a soft amber glow as the sun was setting down the buildings.The apartment's scent was a mixture of peonies and vanilla candles, and small pieces of ivory lace, blush-toned satin, ribbons, along with-half-drank lattes were scattered all over the floor.Noah was outside on the balcony, his body wrapped around the fairy lights, and he was jokingly swearing as he corrected them every few minutes. His humming, comically off-key, drifted in like background music.Ester was half in bridal crisis mode, half in a giddy glow of anticipation, tapping between Pinterest boards and scrawled notes in her wedding planner.I sat cross-legged on the rug, holding up a mock bouquet for her opinion. "You realize you're like, three tiers deep in florals at this point, right?""Sarah, flowers are very important," she said, taking the bouquet from me. "Besides, you should consider you
Sarah’s POVA Few months later – New YorkLife had started to feel quiet again. In the best way.The kind of quiet that meant peace, not isolation. The kind that crept in with soft mornings, sunlight on coffee mugs, and Gabriel’s early babbles echoing through the apartment before the world was fully awake.We had fallen into our own rhythm, me,Alessandro and Gabriel.The days started with Alessandro kissing my forehead while I groggily reached for tea. Gabriel would be in his high chair, stuffing tiny fists with banana pieces and giggling at nothing in particular.I’d answer emails while Alessandro made breakfast, classical music humming in the background. Nothing extraordinary.But everything I had ever hoped for.And in all that soft, golden stillness, Adrian’s shadow didn’t even touch the edge of this life anymore.It was like he had never existed.It was healing, the kind that didn’t require grand gestures. Just space to breathe. Just room to feel again.Ester came over almost ev
Adrian’s POVFew Months LaterThe walls are too white.Too quiet.They buzz when the light hits them, like they’re judging me. Or maybe I’m judging myself.No.I’m not the villain here.They made me into one.I ignored the scrape of concrete beneath my bare feet as I paced the length of the cell once more.Just to show that this place wasnt permanent I clawed my hands against the cinderblock wall earlier leaving them raw.It isn’t.It can’t be.I wasn’t supposed to end up here.She was supposed to understand.Sarah.She was mine.Remembering her I landed hard on the side of the cot, my head cradled in my hands. Her visage stuck in my mind, serene and determined in the courtroom, sharing her truth as if it were holy literature.Lies soaked in emotion. But they believed her. Of course, they did.A woman cries, and the world kneels. A man cries, and he’s a monster.No one cared that I was falling apart too.That I didn’t mean for things to go that far.She was my wife.She moaned, she