Chapter 40: The Spark She BuriedPOV: AleiraWord Count: ~2,630I hadn’t meant to fall asleep.But after the week I’d had—Michael’s custody threats, Carmen’s ice-laced glares, Sofia’s red-dressed return to Brent’s side—I curled up on the couch with Lara, a coloring book resting on her lap and her small hand on my arm, like a silent promise that I wasn’t alone.Outside the apartment window, Manila’s skyline blurred behind soft rain. Inside, there was quiet. Heavy, comforting, and dangerous all at once.I stirred awake when I felt movement. Groggily blinking, I found the space beside me empty. Lara’s coloring book had slipped to the floor.From the kitchen, I heard laughter.Soft. Familiar. Steadying.Brent’s laugh.And then Lara’s.When I peeked in, they were sitting on the floor like two kids at play. Brent, in his rolled-up sleeves and loosened tie, was holding scissors and a cereal box while Lara barked instructions.“No, Uncle Brent! That’s the fuel tank. It goes under the rocket!”
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