**Vadim PoV**
I woke to the faint light of dawn slipping through the old wooden shutters.
The ceiling above me was familiar — the same scuffed corner from when I used to practice sword swings too close to the beams. The air smelled like pine and the faint trace of my mother's lavender soap. I'd slept in this bed several times over the past few years, especially after the kids were born. It was smaller than I remembered, but it had never stopped feeling like mine.
Amelia was still asleep beside me, her head resting on my chest, one arm draped across my stomach. Her breathing was slow and steady. I kept my hand on her back, feeling the rise and fall beneath my palm.
We hadn't planned to stay the night, but after everything that happened yesterday, neither of us had wanted to leave the kids. My mother had taken Diego with her, and the older two had fallen asleep in the guest room. The house had been full of family, and for one night, it had felt almost normal.
Amelia stirred.
