Months later, I was in my study, buried in paperwork with my morning coffee steaming beside me, when Payton slipped in. She looked flushed and radiant, a soft glow about her that made me smile despite myself.
Ever since that rainy day incident, she’d come back to life—brighter, lighter. She hummed while doing chores, sang off-key in the kitchen, chased me around the house with laughter that echoed through the halls. But beneath it all, a quiet doubt gnawed at me.
Was she truly healing… or just performing happiness for my sake?
She crossed the room and perched on the edge of my desk, facing me. I set the documents aside, propped my elbows on the wood, rested my cheeks in my palms, and studied her with a slow smile.
“What does my wife want this morning?” I teased.
She tilted her head, e
