~Katia~
The smell of garlic butter and lemon had barely faded from our plates when Aiden reached for another piece of calamari, his little fingers expertly bypassing the lemon slice and going straight for the crunch. He sat beside me, legs swinging off the velvet booth, wearing his little grey sweater with his name embroidered over the chest. His curls bounced each time he turned to flash me another proud grin, mouth full and happy.
I couldn’t stop watching him.
We’d only been back in New York for three days, and already he was adjusting better than I was. That was the magic of children—they didn't carry the weight of history. They lived in the now. They smiled easier. Loved faster. Forgot pain before it had time to scar.
I was sipping my espresso, soaking in this calm, when I heard th
