[Adelaide Knowles]
From where I stand, I can see into the living room. Christian on one end of the couch, Benjamin sitting cross-legged on the rug, animatedly arranging toy cars in straight lines. The sight feels strange. Too quiet. Too… normal.
Christian’s wearing that easy half-smile again, the kind I never knew he had. His sleeves are rolled up, his tie gone, and he’s leaning forward as Benjamin tells him something about school. I can’t hear what the boy says, only the way Christian listens. Actually listens and laughs.
It’s not the sharp, knowing sound I’m used to. It’s lighter. Real.
I shouldn’t be staring. But I can’t look away.
For months I’d told myself that Christian Castillo didn’t have a heart. Just a will, cold and deliberate, beating behind a perfect suit. But right now,
