Dominic’s POV
It had been a week since Ethan came home from the hospital, and still, the silence felt oppressive.
Before… before everything, there had always been laughter here. Ethan’s laughter, bright and unrestrained, filling every corner like sunlight.
Now, the only sounds were soft footsteps, the occasional rustle of a blanket, or the muted hum of the heater as it kicked on. I hated it.
Because silence meant Ethan wasn’t talking. Silence meant he was retreating into himself again, and I didn’t know how to pull him back.
I stood in the doorway of the living room, watching him curled up on the couch. He was awake, I could tell by the way his eyes were open, fixed on the blank television screen but he hadn’t turned it on.
His body was still healing. Bruises mottled his arms and nec
