The Splash

Laughter echoed off the mansion walls. It had been a long time since Katherine had felt this strange warmth in her chest—a sense of belonging she hadn't dared to hope for again.

Inside the grand living room, things had picked up into full swing. Children darted back and forth with balloon animals made by the magician, while adults gathered in relaxed clusters, sipping on chilled punch and catching up with other parents.

An hour.

She had been here for a full hour.

It didn't feel like it. Time had slipped by, easy and unnoticed, the way it did when things… didn't feel heavy. That realization alone left a strange knot in her chest.

When was the last time she'd been at a gathering like this? One where she didn't feel the need to look over her shoulder? Where she wasn't just surviving through small talk and polite smiles?