By the time Mattew reached home, dawn had already begun to break across the sky, painting the horizon in pale light. The air felt cooler now, but his body carried the full weight of exhaustion. His hands ached badly, every muscle reminding him of the fight from the night before. His knuckles were swollen and scraped, with dried blood still clinging to his skin like proof of everything he had done.
He stepped inside quietly and found the house still and calm. Delilah had not come out of her room yet. Mattew moved to the living room, lowered himself into a chair, and leaned back without even bothering to take off his jacket. The moment his eyes closed, sleep took him almost immediately.
Morning came faster than it should have.
A dull pain in his hands pulled him back to awareness. Mattew
