The moment did not shatter; it shifted quietly, almost imperceptibly, like something fragile adjusting its weight instead of breaking under it. Seraphina remained where she was, still kneeling, still holding herself together around the small hand resting against her cheek. She did not reach up to grasp it, did not pull the child closer, nor did she rush the contact into something it was not yet ready to become. Instead, she let it exist as it was: tentative, searching, and real. And that restraint, more than anything, kept the moment intact.Killian watched it all from only a few steps away, yet the distance felt far greater than it had any right to. Not because he could not cross it, but because he no longer knew how. For six years, he had imagined this moment in ways that had nothing to do with reality. He envisioned a child who would run toward him, recognize him instinctively, and cling to him with the kind of unquestioning trust that only belonged to the bond he had built alone.
Last Updated : 2026-05-06 Read more