Late afternoon sunlight poured softly through the tall windows of Evelyn’s estate, casting warm golden lines across the quiet living room.
Silas sat cross-legged on the floor near the coffee table, a small stack of colored pencils scattered around him. Sheets of paper were spread across the carpet like tiny islands.
He worked slowly, carefully outlining the shape of a building with a black pencil.
Evelyn stood a few feet away, reviewing emails on her tablet. The house had finally grown calm again after days of visitors, security checks, and doctors’ updates.
For the first time in weeks, nothing urgent demanded her attention.
The quiet should have been comforting.
Instead, it felt fragile.
Silas hummed softly to himself as he colored.
Then he stopped.
“Mom?”
Evelyn glanced up.
“Y
