Ethan had a talent for turning a house into a home.
He fixed the loose boards on the front porch, grew rosemary by the windows, and kept the kitchen spotless. The first time he brought his stew to campus, Mark finished two bowls and asked if he could pay Ethan monthly for his meals.
Little by little, the house became a home.
Someone always asked when I would be back. Someone remembered to leave the porch light on. Someone would hear the front door open, lean out from the kitchen, and say, "Ava, you're home."
But that night, the nightmare came back.
When I was 17, Chloe and I took Rowan and Nolan to an amusement park. The fireworks had barely begun when something exploded on the other side. The crowd panicked, screaming while fleeing.
Before the second blast hit, Nolan threw himself i
