“Mom, can I pour the cereal myself?” Devano’s voice cut through the kitchen, a little too loud for the early morning.Elara turned from the sink, water still running over her fingers. “Careful,” she said. “Last time you flooded the table.”“I didn’t flood it,” Devano protested, already tilting the box. “It was an accident.”Aria giggled from her chair, swinging her legs. “It was a flood.”Elara reached over, steadying the box before cereal spilled everywhere. “Teamwork,” she murmured, guiding Devano’s hands. The cereal landed neatly in the bowl. Milk followed, only a few drops escaping onto the counter.She wiped the spill with a cloth, her movements calm, unhurried. There was no raised voice behind her, no sharp sigh, no tension waiting to explode over something small. Just the hum of the refrigerator, the soft clink of spoon against ceramic, the sound of a morning that didn’t feel like it was holding its breath.That was what startled her most.The silence.It wasn’t heavy. It wasn’
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