Sunday came too quickly, the morning passing in a strange, suspended quiet where everything felt slightly off, like the air itself was holding its breath.
Leo avoided mirrors, tugging at the uneven edges of his hair without speaking, while Lily watched him with an expression too old for her small face.
I dressed them both slowly, smoothing fabric, fixing collars, delaying the moment we would have to step outside and face what was waiting.
Mark moved through the house with a calm precision, packing his laptop, checking the video, his silence heavier than any anger I had seen before.
When we finally got into the car, no one spoke for the first few minutes, the road stretching ahead like a question none of us could answer yet.
