IVA
The jet's wheels landed with a soft jolt, and my heart stuttered along with them. The hum of the engines slowed as we approached the long stretch of our private tarmac behind the house, which I used to watch from my bedroom window as a girl.
Everything outside the window looked the same, but I felt like a stranger in a place where I used to belong. My pulse also hadn't settled since we took off.
The plane came to a halt, and the attendants jumped into action, gathering our luggage. My mother was the first to unbuckle her seatbelt, and I turned to her, explaining that I needed a moment with Nik and that we'd be down soon.
Her gaze shifted between us, and she smiled knowingly but didn't say anything. Squeezing my hand once, she stood and exited the aircraft, her scarf fluttering in
