They say when you walk into a home filled with love, you can feel it—
Not through the things, but through the warmth in the air.
And that's what she felt the moment the little child hugged her.
As the car stopped, the door wasn't even fully open yet, but the little boy- luke came running—
Not to kalix, like before.
But to Elena.
She froze for a second, eyes wide. But as luke threw his tiny arms around her and said, "You came back!"—
Something cracked softly inside her. Not in pain… but in healing.
Elena crouched down and hugged him back, tightly.
That kind of hug that wraps around your heart.
The kind she'd always needed.
That warmth.
That joy of being wanted.
Of being waited for.
The boy held her hand with his tiny fingers and pulled her inside with excitement.
He didn't let go.
Kalix followed quietly, holding the cakes.
When luke saw them, he squealed with joy, hugging kalix briefly and then rushing to elena again to show her each cake like it was treasure.
The house was soon filled with laughter.
Crayons scattered across the table, dinosaur drawings half-finished.
The smell of burnt cookies they all tried to bake together.
A child giggling in the elena's lap, with cookie dough on his cheek.
KalixP sitting beside them, for once not lost in work, but in the simplicity of joy.
She looked around—
This was what she longed for.
Not the grandeur, not riches—
But voices.
Voices laughing.
People happy.
A space where love lived and stayed.
Unlike her own home—where silence screamed louder than words.
Empty walls. Empty tables.
Not even arguments—just absence.
They said the walls had ears, but hers never listened.
They just stood there… cold.
But now…
This wasn't just a house.
It was a memory being made.
And for the first time in a very long time,
she wasn't outside looking in.
She was part of it.