White siding glowing softly in the late afternoon sun.
The wraparound porch.
The old oak tree leaning toward the water.
Wren exhales beside me.
“Okay.”
“That’s still beautiful.”
“Told you.”
I park the truck near the porch and cut the engine.
For a moment neither of us moves.
After everything we just did—
The silence feels almost unreal.
Wren finally opens the door and steps out.
The breeze from the lake lifts her hair as she looks around the yard.
“You know what the strangest part is?”
“What?”
“The world is still here.”
“Turns out shutting down a dangerous AI doesn’t stop the planet from spinning.”
She smiles slightly.
“I’m glad about that.”
I grab our bags from the truck.
“Come on.”
We walk up the porch steps together.
The screen door creaks open the same way it always has.
Inside—
The house still smells like coffee and wood smoke.
Exactly the way it did before we left.
Wren walks slowly through the living room.
Her fingers brush the back of the couch.
The kitchen counter.
The window frame overlooking the lake.
