“I’ll keep mine until yours grows back,” Leo’s voice echoed again, filling the room in a way that felt heavier than any spoken accusation.
Brenda’s hand moved slightly on the table, fingers curling inward as if grasping for something solid, something that could anchor her in that moment.
The room remained silent, no one speaking, no one moving, the only sound the quiet continuation of the video, each frame revealing something she had never known.
Lily touching her thinning hair, Leo standing beside her, refusing to cut his own, even when others suggested it would be easier, more appropriate.
The final clip lingered on Leo’s curls catching the light as he ran down a hospital hallway, laughter trailing behind him like something fragile and fleeting.
Then the screen went still, the video ending not with a conclusion, but with a pause that demanded acknowledgment, demanded something from her.
Time seemed to stretch in that silence, each second heavier than the last, as Brenda sat there, eyes fixed on the blank screen.
