Elena’s POV

I came downstairs slowly, the sling still awkward against my side, and paused at the bottom of the steps.

Dad and Lucas were in the living room. Dad sat in his usual chair near the window, reading glasses perched on his nose, a folded newspaper resting on his knee even though I knew he mostly used it as an excuse to sit still. Lucas sprawled on the couch with one arm draped over the back, scrolling through his phone. The late-afternoon light softened everything, turning the ordinary room into something quieter than it had felt the night before.

I hesitated.

Part of me still expected the same closed...