Before the silence grows heavy, Mom pipes in, her tone light and hopeful, “We should go out for dinner tonight. Somewhere nice. Celebrate you being here.”I look up, caught off guard by the sudden shift, but I smile, softening. “That’s nice.”She returns the smile, a little proud, a little wistful. Dad is already pulling out his phone. “I’ll make the reservations then. I know just the place.”Mom turns to me, her eyes gentle. “Don’t exhaust yourself so much, Isla. You’re still young. There’s time.”Her voice trails as she adds quietly, “Mathieu worked too hard too…”Her eyes drift to the floor, and something in her expression darkens, fades. A memory flashes behind her gaze like the after-image of a flame.I tense. My brother’s name always draws a shadow in the room—like a ghost still sitting in the corner, waiting for someone to acknowledge him.I can’t let her go there. Not again. If she thinks about Mathieu, she’ll fall too deep into it. And she won’t know how to climb back.So I s
Last Updated : 2025-05-07
