- Aria
The twins were finally asleep.
I lingered for a moment, watching the gentle rise and fall of their chests. They were lost in a deep, quiet peace, blissfully unaware of the chaos tearing our world apart.
I envied them.
I left the nursery with a heavy heart. The hallway’s silence felt like a sanctuary after the gauntlet of rumors and cold stares I’d just walked through.
Night had settled deep into the garden. Between the cool air and the damp earth, the silence was so thick it made my own thoughts feel uncomfortably loud.
I wrapped my arms around myself and walked anyway.
Sleep was out of the question. The house felt suffocating, filled to the rafters with old ghosts and the heavy pressure of everything we were keeping from one another.
Even after the twins h
