Charlotte arrived on a Saturday afternoon with a small backpack and a chessboard she insisted on setting up herself.She was eight, all restless elbows and serious concentration, a loose strand of hair slipping across her forehead as she arranged the pieces on our kitchen table. David stood behind her, trying not to look as nervous as she did."She's been asking to learn properly for weeks," he told Damien. "I showed her the basics, but I thought she should learn from someone who actually knows what he's doing."Damien raised an eyebrow. "Are you saying you don't?""I'm saying I don't want her learning all my bad habits."Charlotte looked up. "Dad says he loses because he gets impatient."David sighed. "I see you've decided to tell him everything.""Shouldn't he know?"I laughed as David pulled out a chair for her. Damien looked more relaxed than I'd seen him in weeks.Damien was following his revised medication schedule and resting more often, though some afternoons I still caught hi
Last Updated : 2026-10-15
