Axel's POVThe morning had been quiet. After Naomi's conversation with her parents, she had seemed lighter—not happy, as that would take time, but lighter, like she had finally put down a weight she had been carrying for years.We spent the morning together in the garden. She didn't talk much, but she didn't need to; she just sat beside me, her head resting on my shoulder, watching the clouds drift across the sky."I feel like I can breathe again," she said at one point.I kissed the top of her head. "Good.""I still don't forgive them not yet.""That's okay.""But I don't hate them either; I just... I need space."I nodded. "You're allowed to need space."She looked up at me. "Thank you for not pushing me to feel differently.""I would never do that."She smiled—a real smile, the first one I had seen in days—and leaned back against me. For a moment, everything felt peaceful, but I should have known it wouldn't last.I watched Naomi as she sat in the garden, her eyes closed, her face
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