The laughter in the kitchen slowly faded, leaving behind a warm, comfortable silence. Annabelle glanced out the window again, her heart skipping a beat when she saw nothing but the empty garden. The eyes she thought she’d seen were gone—if they had ever been there at all. She shook her head, forcing herself to focus on the moment. Derek was here, smiling, his face lit with the kind of joy she hadn’t seen in him for a long time. She wouldn’t let her paranoia ruin this.
“You okay?” Derek asked, his voice cutting through her thoughts. His head tilted slightly, a habit he’d developed since losing his sight, as if he could sense her unease.
“Yeah,” Annabelle said quickly, perhaps too quickly. She reached across the table, her fingers brushing against his. “Just… thinking about how much I’ve m
