The snow kept falling outside, soft and steady, covering the porch where I had knelt crying only hours earlier.
Inside, the fire had been rebuilt until the flames danced high again, throwing warm light across the living room and the nest of blankets we had never quite put away.
I sat in the center of it all—wrapped in a thick wool throw, knees drawn to my chest—while the five brothers formed a loose circle around me.
No one crowded.
No one touched me yet.
They simply waited, giving me the space I had demanded when I stormed out into the cold.
My tears had dried on my cheeks, leaving tight, salty tracks.
My voice still trembled when I finally spoke.
“I’m scared,” I said into the quiet.
The words felt small at first, then grew heavier as they left my mouth.
“I’m scared because I lo
