Athena smiled as she looked at both her parents from across the table. They sat closely to each other, their hands entwined on the table, whispering to each other and smiling after dinner at a new French restaurant near their village.
"Thank you, Mom. Thank you, Dad." She said.
Her parents looked at her and smiled. "For what, baby girl?" Aiden asked.
"For this. For agreeing to have dinner with me so we can all be together outside of work. Just the three of us" Athena said. "I kind of miss this. It's been a while since I had my parents all to myself. More than 20 years." She chuckled.
Her parents' faces turned serious then. Niara reached for their daughter's hand and held it firmly. "Baby girl, I'm sorry if you feel that way."
"Why?" Athena smiled and looked at her parents, who were st
