Alexander’s POV
I didn’t expect to be here, not even after everything I did.
Not after the silence, the hurt, the years lost like wind-scattered ash. Not after I hurt Naomi and everyone around me.
But here I was—back in this house, this family, this story, And no one had shut the door in my face.
Not yet, I didn’t know if that meant I was forgiven.
But I knew it meant I had been allowed.
And for someone like me, that was everything.
I was more than grateful for this opportunity given me and I am not ready to misuse it.
---
The morning sunlight slipped gently across the floor of the hallway, painting warm streaks over the hardwood. I’d been up before everyone—habit, I guess. A kind of restlessness that came from living with regret. You don't want to do too much or too little, just
