Alina’s POV
There was a deliberate calm in him now, a patience that had been absent in the early days after we arrived at the beach house.
I watched him, noting the subtle ways he had changed how he moved with attentiveness rather than control, how he interacted with Leo without overt dominance, how he allowed life to unfold naturally rather than trying to bend it entirely to his will.
These small shifts, almost imperceptible at first, had begun to build a quiet rhythm of trust between us.
Leo bounded into the porch moments later, hair sticking up in chaotic tufts, eyes bright with excitement.
“Mama! Papa! Look what I drew!” he shouted, waving a piece of paper covered in colorful scribbles and elaborate doodles. “It’s a treasure map for our adventure today!”
I knelt beside him, ex
