Narda's POV
It had been days since Liam had tripped in the garden and cried into my arms. Days since I'd bandaged his scraped knee and kissed the tears from his cheeks. Days since Axle had stood at the doorway and watched it all, watched me comfort his son, watched his son call me Mommy, watched us fit together like something long missing.
But the silence that followed next spoke louder than anything else.
The tension in the house had risen like smoke… thick, stifling, and inescapable.
Every room I entered seemed to echo with the quiet weight of unspoken words. Every breath I took felt borrowed. I found myself tiptoeing more often, shrinking into myself like an intruder. It didn't matter how warm Liam's hugs were or how genuine his giggles sounded; Axle's cold presence made m
