#Chapter 80: Epilogue

Elara The house was alive with the all-too-familiar chaos of a school morning. Somewhere down the hall, Ella was shouting at Zoe about taking too long in the bathroom, and Zoe’s shrill rebuttal wasn’t far behind. The smell of toast lingered in the air, mingling with the faint bite of fall that crept through the open kitchen window. And then there was Alexander—currently wrapped around my legs like he was glued to me, his face pressed into my skirt, and a steady stream of snot soaking through to my skin. “I don’t wanna go to school!” he wailed, his voice muffled but still somehow loud enough to rattle my eardrums. His tiny hands clutched fistfuls of fabric like letting go would be the end of the world. “Alex,” I said softly, crouching down so I was eye level with him. He sniffled, his bottom lip quivering as his tear-streaked face came into view. My heart twisted, but I bit back the urge to scoop him up and promise he didn’t have to go. “It’s just a few hours,” I soo