~ Mara ~ I didn’t expect silence to feel this lonely,as I tidy up the house. Lily is at the table, colouring and humming something under her breath like the world is still safe and predictable. I’m standing in the kitchen, staring at a glass of water I poured five minutes ago and haven’t touched, because my head won’t stop. Cole left early. He didn’t say much—just a kiss to my temple to distract me and a quick, "I’ve got something to handle." That was it. And now I’m here, trying to pretend I’m not thinking about it. I fail. Badly. “You’re staring at the water like it did something wrong,” Lily says without looking up from her page. I blink, shaken out of my thoughts. “What?” “You’re mad at it,” she observes, her crayon moving steadily. “I’m not mad at water,” I tell her, finally looking away from the glass. “You look mad,” she adds, switching colours. I exhale softly, grab the glass and take a sip so that she’ll drop it. “I’m thinking.” “That’s what you say when y
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