Alina’s POV
We spent the morning building a fort from driftwood and shells. Leo dictated every detail, insisting on towers, bridges, and secret passageways. Sebastian assisted quietly, letting Leo’s imagination lead, while I observed.
The joy on their faces reminded me that healing often arrived through ordinary victories: shared creativity, laughter, collaboration, and acknowledgment. Each repeated gesture stitched quiet trust into the fabric of our lives.
By afternoon, I had set up my paints, letting colors flow freely across the canvas, blues, golds, and shimmering reflections of sunlight on the water. Leo sat beside me, humming softly as he colored his own pictures.
Sebastian brought iced tea, placing it gently on the table without comment. The quiet domesticity, the deliberate,
