The living room had emptied for the night, leaving only a few lingering shadows and the faint scent of baked cookies and tea that had carried us through the chaos of the day. I had tried, desperately, to drink it all in, the laughter, the hugs, the chatter of people who genuinely loved Killian, and his father, Killy. I had never seen him like this. Not soft. Not human. Not free of the walls he carried like armor. I thought back to the first day I met him, how he’d been a storm contained in perfect control, and now… here he was, smiling, laughing, talking to his family like he belonged. He finally did.I wanted to drink in the joy, to let myself stay present. But Andrew’s warning tugged at me like a sharp thread in the back of my mind, unrelenting and impossible to ignore.The words had rung in my ears all afternoon, whispering between the laughs and greetings. I had tried to focus on the children who clung to him, the nieces and nephews, the cousins, and some distant relatives finall
Last Updated : 2025-12-03 Read more