~Jennie’s~

“I’ve been meaning to say something… but you look so happy.”

My mother’s voice is soft, almost careful. Like she’s afraid a single word might shatter the little peace I’ve finally built for myself.

I sit with Blue in my lap, humming as he babbles against my chest, and I smile…not the forced kind I used to wear, but one that actually feels real. The morning light spills through the wide windows of the mansion’s living room, warming the hardwood under my bare feet. Reo’s voice floats from the kitchen, laughing with Leo over something Blair said on the news. Everything feels calm. Still. Whole.

So I glance at...