LILA'S POV
The next morning started peacefully.
Mom was watering the small plants outside, her fingers gently brushing the green leaves of the hydrangeas she used to love so much. There was a faint smile on her face, a rare sight these days.
Ryker was fixing the old front gate. He was using a toolkit he’d found in the garage, his broad shoulders moving rhythmically as he tightened the loose hinges. Every now and then, he would glance up, his eyes finding mine, offering a small, reassuring warmth that anchored me.
Parker and Ethan were arguing over breakfast. It was a ridiculous debate about whether cold pizza qualified as a legitimate morning meal, their voices bouncing off the kitchen walls.
Landon and Sophie laughed nearby, sitting on the porch steps with mugs of coffee warming thei
