blank.

He shrugged, smiling a little.

“Not everything needs explaining.”

For the first time in years, I believed him.

The cottage did not belong to the loudest person in the room anymore.

It belonged to the boy who noticed what others missed, and to the version of me who had finally learned that protecting peace means nothing if you abandon the person who needed your voice.

The waves struck the rocks below us, steady and dark.

Theo leaned against my shoulder, warm and alive, and together we watched the lighthouse blink through the fog like a promise kept.