Noah, on the other hand, reacted to everything with startles.
Any loud noise made him shudder, as if he expected something bad to come next.
Daniel began to notice details he would never have seen before.
The way Lily hid her hands behind her back when he approached.
The way he looked at the food before touching it, as if he needed permission.
How he asked unnecessary questions.
“Can I drink water?”
“Can I sit here?”
“Can I stay with you?”
Each question was a wound.
A silent testament to all they had experienced.
Daniel stopped working completely for a week.
He cancelled meetings.
He ignored calls.
For the first time in years, she chose to stay.
But staying wasn’t enough.
Because there was something else that I couldn’t ignore.
Something that had haunted him since that night.
Blame.
Not because of what he did.
But for what he didn’t see.
One afternoon, while Lily was drawing at the dining room table, Daniel sat down opposite her.
He looked at the paper in silence.
There was a house.
A tree.
One sun.
And three small figures together.
But in one corner, far from the rest, there was another figure.
Dark.
Big.
