She stayed because they asked. That’s all. They didn’t ask for me. They didn’t ask for anyone else. Just her. Edward looked up slowly, eyes dark with something more than anger now. Something closer to regret. Outside, the gate creaked closed. And for the first time in months, the Hawthorne house was silent.

Not with grief or rage, but something else. peace, the kind Maya had left behind. The house was too quiet, not the comforting kind, like the hush of snowfall or the soft turning of pages in an old book. This was the kind that felt wrong, hollow and unfinished, like a question left unanswered. Edward Hawthorne sat alone in his study, glass of scotch untouched beside him. The note Mia had left resting on the desk like a judgment.

If you can’t stay for them, at least don’t push away the ones who will. He’d read it seven times. Outside, dusk spread over the estate like a heavy quilt, and the wind pressed softly against the windows. Inside, the twins still slept, oblivious to the storm they’ just slept through, oblivious to the fact that the one person they’d allowed into their fragile world was gone. Edward leaned back in his leather chair and rubbed his temples.

His hand stung faintly. The ghost of the slap he delivered still etched into his skin. He hadn’t planned it. It wasn’t who he believed he was. And yet it had happened. A moment of misjudged fury born from grief and a thousand quiet failures. He had hit a woman. And not just any woman. He stood suddenly and made his way upstairs.

The hallway outside the boy’s bedroom smelled faintly of lavender and warm cotton. A small wooden stool sat against the wall. Maya’s sketchbook was on top, closed neatly, as if she’d left it there on purpose. He picked it up. Inside were simple drawings, rough, untrained, but full of heart. Two boys holding hands beneath a tree, a tall house with too many windows, a figure sitting between the boys, arms stretched out like wings, a short caption beneath. The one who stays, he exhaled slowly.

In the nursery, Eli stirred. Edward peeked inside. The boy rolled over but didn’t wake. No nightmares, no tears. He closed the door softly. Downstairs, Mrs. Keller was folding napkins when Edward entered the kitchen. She looked up and froze. Something in his expression told her to put the linen aside. “She’s gone,” he said simply. “I know,” she replied.