ANMELDENThe flight back was quieter.Not because the children were unhappy, but because they were tired.Sandra rested her head on Gabriel’s shoulder.Her eyes half closed, her energy finally worn out after days of excitement.Daniel sat beside them, looking out through the window.The clouds stretched endlessly, white and calm.“Are we home yet?” Sandra murmured softly.“Not yet,” Gabriel replied.She nodded slightly.Then went still again.Gabriel adjusted his arm gently so she could rest better.His eyes moved between both children, watching and thinking.Paris had been easy, simple and light.Here, on the plane, that feeling had started to fade.Reality was waiting.He knew it.The laughter,the games, the quiet joy, all of it had been real.But temporary.He leaned back in his seat, and closed his eyes briefly.Sandra’s voice from earlier echoed in his mind.I miss mommy.He had answered calmly.But the truth sat deeper than words, things were not fixed.Not even close.The plane began it
Morning in Paris came gently.Soft light slipped through the curtains, touching the edges of the room.Gabriel was already awake.He stood by the window, looking out at the city below.Cars moved slowly.People walked with purpose.Everything felt calm.Different from home, and different from the weight he had left behind.A small voice broke the silence.“Daddy…”He turned.Sandra was sitting up in bed, her hair slightly messy, her eyes still heavy with sleep.“Good morning,” he said softly.She rubbed her eyes.“Is this really Paris?”He smiled.“Yes.”She looked around again, as if making sure it was real.Then her face lit up.“We’re really here!”Her excitement filled the room instantly.Daniel stretched on the other side of the bed.“Why are you shouting?” he murmured.Sandra ignored him.“Can we go out now?” she asked.Gabriel checked the time.“After breakfast.”She nodded quickly.“Okay!”Breakfast was lively.The hotel restaurant was filled with quiet conversations and soft m
Morning came earlier than expected.The house was still quiet when Gabriel stepped into the living room, dressed and ready.The suitcases were already by the door.Everything had been prepared the night before.For a moment, he stood still, looking around.This house had held too many heavy moments recently.Arguments, silence, and distance.But today........ Today felt different.Not lighter, just… paused.Upstairs, a small voice broke the silence.“Daddy?”Gabriel turned.Sandra stood halfway down the stairs, rubbing her eyes.“Why are you awake so early?” he asked softly.She walked down slowly.“You said we are going to Paris today.”He smiled faintly.“That’s true.”“I didn’t want to miss it.”He crouched and opened his arms.She stepped into them without hesitation.“Go wake your brother,” he said.She nodded quickly and ran back upstairs.Minutes later, the house filled with energy again.Footsteps, voices, and excitement.Daniel rushed down with his backpack already on.“Are w
The house felt different that morning.Not tense.Not quiet in a painful way.Just… busy.For the first time in weeks, there was movement in every corner.Drawers opening.Footsteps running up and down the stairs.Voices calling out from one room to another.“Mommy! Where is my blue bag?”“In the closet!” Prisca replied.“No, it’s not here!”Prisca sighed softly and stood from the bed.“I’ll come.”She walked into Sandra’s room and opened the closet door herself. The bag was right there, hanging neatly on the hook.She pulled it down and handed it over.Sandra smiled brightly.“Thank you!”Prisca nodded.“Don’t just throw things inside. Fold them properly.”“I know,” Sandra said quickly, already turning away.Prisca watched her for a moment.She didn’t correct her again.Today wasn’t the day for that.Across the hall, Daniel’s room was worse.Clothes were everywhere.T-shirts on the bed.Jeans on the floor.Shoes in the wrong places.Daniel stood in the middle of it all, holding two s
Prisca wasn’t trying to listen.At least, that’s what she told herself.She had gone to Gabriel’s study to drop off a document he had forgotten at home. It was nothing important—just a file from his office—but something had pushed her to bring it herself instead of asking the driver.Maybe it was habit.Maybe it was something else.The door to the study was slightly open.At first, she was about to knock.Then she heard Gabriel’s voice.“…if this goes public, it won’t stay contained.”Prisca froze.She didn’t mean to stop.But her feet refused to move.Inside the room, Gabriel continued speaking. His tone was low, controlled, but there was tension beneath it.“I don’t care about my reputation,” he said. “This is about the children.”Prisca’s fingers tightened slightly around the file in her hand.The children;Sandra and Daniel.She moved closer to the door without realizing it.Another voice responded. Mr. Harrison.“We can try to limit exposure, but once the hearing is public, the me
Gabriel frowned when he saw the name on the screen.His lawyer.Gabriel answered quickly.“Hello.”Prisca continued washing the plates, but she could hear every word he said.“Yes.”A pause.Then Gabriel’s posture changed.“What do you mean?”Another pause followed.Prisca slowly turned toward him.Gabriel lowered his voice.“A public hearing?”He stood up from the chair.“That wasn’t the agreement.”The lawyer spoke for a long time.Gabriel listened carefully.His expression grew more serious with every second.Finally he spoke again.“She wants to bring that into court?”Prisca felt her stomach tighten.Bring what into court?Gabriel’s jaw clenched.“Yes, I understand.”Another pause.“No. I’ll come by the office later today.”He ended the call slowly.For several seconds he remained standing there, staring at the phone in his hand.Prisca dried her hands with a towel.“What happened?”Gabriel hesitated.Then he answered quietly.“Victoria is pushing the divorce harder.”Prisca’s he
Victoria used to believe power was loud.She had seen it in raised voices, slammed doors, sharp commands that left no room for questions. Power, she thought, belonged to people who spoke first and spoke the most. People who could silence a room just by walking into it.That belief almost destroyed
The house felt too quiet. The kind of quiet that presses against the chest and whispers truths a person doesn’t want to hear. Prisca sat at the kitchen table, the faint hum of the refrigerator filling the empty spaces. Her coffee had gone cold. She hadn’t touched it. Her hands rested on the smooth
The house was silent. Even the faint hum of the air conditioner seemed distant, as if it, too, were holding its breath. Sandra and her brother had long since been tucked into bed, their soft breathing filling the nursery with a gentle rhythm. But in the master bedroom, silence weighed heavier. It p
The first thing Mary taught Victoria was how to smile again.Not the real one.The useful one.They stood in front of a tall mirror in the spare room. Morning light slipped through the curtains, soft and pale. Victoria barely recognized the woman staring back at her. Her face was thinner now. Her e







