DominicI stood outside the guest room door longer than I should have.My hand lifted once, then dropped back to my side. I could still hear Leana’s crying downstairs, the soft broken sounds she made as she sat on the couch, wrapped in a blanket I had handed her without thinking. The cut on Madelyn’s leg replayed in my head too, but every time I tried to focus on that, Leana’s tears pushed forward, louder, messier, demanding attention.“She didn’t mean it,” Leana had said through sobs. “I know she hates me, Dominic. I feel it every time she looks at me.”I told myself Madelyn was tired. I told myself she had been distant for weeks now. I told myself all of that as if repeating it enough times would make the tight feeling in my chest go away.It didn’t.I raised my hand again and knocked.No answer.I knocked a second time, softer. “Madelyn,” I said. “Please. Can we talk?”Silence.I leaned my forehead against the door, closed my eyes briefly, then straightened. “I’m not here to fight,
Last Updated : 2026-01-04 Read more