[Hazel]
We stood together on the sunlit sidewalk outside the Diamond Apartments, the morning air buzzing faintly with city noise. My fingers curled tightly around Dad’s hand, the way they used to when I was six and terrified of getting lost in a crowd. Now I was grown — independent, supposedly — but in that moment, I held on like he might disappear if I loosened my grip even a little.
“I wish you could stay a bit more,” I said softly, the words catching at the back of my throat.
He looked down at me with that same gentle expression he used to wear when he’d read bedtime stories or cleaned scraped knees.
“If you want, I can,” he replied, his voice steady and warm. “I’ll cancel my reservation at the Silver Arc Hotel.”
My heart jumped.
Oh no.
No, no, no, no, no, no. That would be a d
