Sunlight streamed gently through the tall windows of the Everett mansion, spilling gold across the marble floor. The house was quiet, almost too quiet, as though it too was trying to recover from the storm of the past few days. For the first time in what felt like forever, warmth lingered in the air. But beneath it, a fragile tension still pulsed—like a wound just beginning to close.
Zane sat curled on the edge of the sofa, one hand gripping a mug of bitter black coffee, the other pressed to his temple. His eyes were shadowed from nights without rest, his posture taut as though any second he might spring to his feet.
By the window, Kai leaned against the frame, staring out at the bright garden but seeing little of it. His brows furrowed as though weighing thoughts he couldn't voice. Across the room, Valentina sat close to Ivy, their shoulders brushing, both their gazes carrying the same quiet worry that had followed them since the doctor's words.
The door opened softly. Mr. and Mrs. Everett stepped inside. Their expressions were calm, but their posture—slightly rigid, a touch weary—betrayed that they too had spent the night awake.
Mrs. Everett's voice was gentle, like a mother soothing frightened children."You've all been here for days. Watching over Aira… barely sleeping, barely eating."
Mr. Everett nodded, his deep voice steady."We know your parents have been calling. They're worried. And the truth is… you all need peace too."
The words hung heavy.
Zane's grip tightened on his mug, the faint clink of porcelain against porcelain sharp in the silence. His voice was flat, unyielding."I'm not leaving her."
Mrs. Everett smiled faintly, her eyes kind but firm."Zane, sweetheart… no one is asking you to abandon her. We're asking you to trust us. Just for a little while."
Kai turned from the window, his voice quiet but steady."You know this is our home. Nothing will happen to her here."
Valentina leaned forward, her eyes shimmering."She's one of us now. A sister. If anyone tries to touch her, they'll have to go through all of us first."
Mr. Everett moved closer, his steps slow, deliberate. He placed a firm hand on Zane's shoulder. The weight was steady, grounding."Let us be her parents for a while. Just for now. You need to breathe too, son."
Zane looked down, shoulders tense, words catching in his throat. His voice cracked softly."She's not just someone I protect. She's… she's my air."
Mrs. Everett crouched slightly, softening her tone, but her words were unwavering."Then let her heal while you gather the strength to keep standing beside her. We're not taking her away from you. We're giving you space to come back stronger."
Unseen by them, Aira stood at the top of the stairs. She had woken early, restless, a dull heaviness pressing against her chest. The murmur of voices had drawn her from her room. Quietly, she leaned against the wall, her hand resting on the banister.
She heard everything.
The rough edges of Zane's voice when he spoke her name without speaking it.The protectiveness lacing Valentina's tone.The steady, grounding certainty in Mr. Everett's words.
For a long moment, she just stood there, heart trembling. And for the first time in years, her fingers shook not with fear… but with warmth.
They care. They actually care.
She didn't go down.
She just closed her eyes, letting their voices wrap around her like a blanket. A single tear slipped silently down her cheek, tracing the faint scars of old wounds, and she didn't wipe it away.
Downstairs, Mrs. Everett's voice was steady, maternal."We'll keep the lights on in her room. We'll make her tea when she can't sleep. We'll sit with her in silence if that's what she needs. And we'll wait. For her. Just like you did."
Mr. Everett added firmly, his voice carrying the weight of a vow."You have my word. No one touches her. No one hurts her. She stays under this roof as our daughter."
Zane finally exhaled, his hands trembling slightly as he set down his mug. He nodded, reluctant but yielding to their certainty. Slowly, he rose to his feet. His voice was hoarse."If she calls me… even once… I'll be back in seconds."
Kai smirked faintly, breaking the heaviness."We'll race you."
The tension lifted just a fraction.
Morning light spread across the golden curtains, touching every corner of the house with quiet warmth. For the first time, the mansion felt less like a cage of worry and more like a home again.
Upstairs, Aira sat by her window, her knees drawn to her chest, the shawl Mrs. Everett had given her draped across her shoulders. She watched the leaves outside dancing in the wind, her lips parting in the faintest whisper.
"For the first time… maybe I'm not alone anymore."