MARIA
I watched with a shattered heart as Elias and Isaac interacted. They had always shared a bond—father and son, but right now, they were practically joined at the hip. Isaac refused to let Elias put him down.
He clung to him everywhere: into his closet while he changed, into the bathroom while he showered. No kidding, just earlier, I’d been in the room listening to their laughter echo off the walls.
Now, they were in the kitchen while Elias fixed dinner, Riley having been excused for the night.
And me? I was a spectator. My chest tightened each time Elias tried to involve me in their conversations, only for Isaac to shrink away or go silent, burying himself deeper in his father’s embrace.
The sight made my resentment for Lucia burn hotter, but in truth, it was my fault. I had bee
