Chapter 25: Little By Little [1]

His mother stood in the open doorway between the living room and the kitchen. She watched him with a raised eyebrow, though the smile on her lips was one of amusement.

"You said you wanted to play all day to 'de-stress', and yet there you are, lazing around," she continued with a roll of her eyes. "Although if you ask me, that's fine. The fighting sounds coming from the TV were obnoxious anyway."

Ardyn slowly sat up on the sofa, still staring.

He felt a lump in his throat. Even though he knew that this was just a memory he was reliving, he could control the scenario a bit like a dream, so he didn't care if it wasn't actually real. He already missed his family so much even though technically only one day had passed since his 'death'.

"Mom?" he murmured.