Liam's POV

The morning was quiet, too quiet. I had buried myself in paperwork, trying to focus on matters that couldn’t be ignored, but my mind kept wandering.

Every word, every letter I typed seemed to blur into nothingness. I couldn’t shake the feeling of Macy, how her name clung to my thoughts, how every waking moment seemed haunted by her absence.

"Come, let’s eat breakfast together, son. I made your favorite," my mom’s voice echoed in my mind, pulling me from my daze. She had a way of grounding me, even when everything else felt uncertain.

“I’m almost done, Mom. I’ll be down in a few minutes,” I replied,...