The mansion was wrapped in stillness, touched only by the distant rustle of leaves and the soft hum of cicadas in the night. Moonlight spilled across the garden paths like a silver thread weaving through the shadows, and the air carried the faint scent of jasmine from somewhere near the hedges.
Katherine quietly closed the door to the room where the children were fast asleep. She stood there for a moment, her hand still resting on the doorknob, eyes lingering on the gentle rise and fall of their chests. Maya had sprawled herself across half the mattress, her arm thrown across Nathan's stomach. Nathan had kicked off his blanket sometime during the night, his small feet now tucked underneath Julio's side. Julio, on the other hand, slept on his back, arms behind his head like he owned the world.
