Ethan's POV
I stood by the window, the cool glass pressing against my cheek like a memory I couldn't grasp. I watched my mother slip away again, her silhouette slowly fading into the distance, and I felt the familiar ache inside me. Why wouldn't she let me go with her? I missed the warmth of our old house in the city, the lively laughter that echoed in the halls, and the feeling of belonging that wrapped around me like a cosy blanket. It was all I had ever known.
I missed Griffin, our football games, and the way he patiently taught me how to ride my bike. He was like a father to me, this guiding star in the absence of my real dad. But all I had now was my mother, alone with her secrets.
Suddenly, a shift in the air caught my attention. I leaned closer to the window, straining to see better. Voices drifted up to me; one belonged to my Uncle Simon. But the other voice, there was something strangely unfamiliar but comforting about it.