Angelos yawns as he stretches, rubbing his eyes.
Rose checks the time. “You’ve got school tomorrow, so off to bed.”
He groans but doesn’t argue, standing and tossing his PlayStation controller onto the coffee table. He glances at me. “You staying?”
Rose stiffens.
“Dunno yet,” I say, keeping my voice even. “Depends on your mum.”
Angelos shrugs like he doesn’t care eitherway. “Night then.”
I want to say something fatherly, something that matters—but my throat feels tight, like my own words are strangling me.
Rose ruffles his hair, and he bats her hand away with a sleepy grumble. “Night, love,” she murmurs. “I’ll come and tuck you in soon.”
“Night, Mum.” He gives her a kiss on her cheek and trudges up the stairs.
I swallow hard as he disappears into the bathroom at the top of the stairs. I should be the one making sure he brushes his teeth properly. I should have been the one checking his room for imaginary monsters and pulling the covers up to his chin.
I should have been there for all of it. My fingers flex against my thighs. I feel unsteady, like I don’t fit in my own skin.
Rose lingers by the doorway, listening for the sound of his electric toothbrush.
The silence stretches between us, thick and suffocating.
“I should go,” I say quietly.
She doesn’t move. Doesn’t look at me. Just keeps staring up the stairs.
I rake a hand through my hair. “Rose?—”
She spins to face me, her eyes flashing with a warning. “Not here,” she whispers, cutting me off.
I glance up at the bathroom door that isn’t fully closed.
“Right.”
We can’t do this now.
But the air is charged between us. I can feel the words she wants to say hanging there, taunting me. I step in closer, just enough to hear her breath hitch. “Let me stay.”
Her lips part, her body swaying slightly towards mine before she catches herself. “Dan?—”
“I just wanna be near him,” I murmur. “That’s all.”
She squeezes her eyes shut for a moment. When she opensthem, she’s unreadable again. “You can take the couch,” she whispers.
Relief crashes through me, but I don’t show it. I just nod, shoving my hands into my pockets to stop myself from reaching for her.
She turns away first. “I’ll get you a blanket.”
As she disappears down the hall, I sit back on the couch, staring at the ceiling.
My son’s just up the stairs.
And for the first time in thirteen years, I have something worth fighting for. Whatever happened between Rose and me doesn’t matter now. He’s all that matters. My blood. My son.
Rose hands me a blanket. “Goodnight, Dan.”
