I ignored the buzzing for a while, each vibration a reminder of the severed ties that had once held a certain weight in my life. But that weight had shifted, and I found myself oddly unburdened, as though I had shed a cloak that never quite fit. Lily and I walked toward a small park a few blocks away. The evening air was crisp, a welcomed contrast to the heated emotions swirling inside me.
We found a bench under a streetlamp, its light casting a comforting glow as I pulled Lily closer. Her innocence was untainted, her questions genuine. I could almost see the thoughts jumbling in her young mind, trying to process this sudden shift in her perception of family.
“Daddy, are we not part of the family anymore?” she asked, her eyes wide with both curiosity and a hint of worry.
