Ethan sat at the kitchen table, his small fingers tracing the edge of his juice cup, his gaze flickering between Victoria and the empty chair across from her. The changes hadn’t gone unnoticed by him. The silence that hung heavier in the air, the way Victoria would turn away when she thought he wasn’t looking, her sadness that lingered in the corners of the room. He could see it all, even if he didn’t fully understand it.

“Mama,” Ethan said softly, his voice breaking through the quiet. “Why do you cry sometimes?”

Victoria’s heart jolted. She hadn’t meant for him to see this, to feel the weight of her pain....