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Family Reunion Part 1

The late morning light cast short shadows on the floor when Maddox stepped into his parent’s apartment, Idália close to his side. Olivia had always kept the windows open when she could, letting the city sounds settle like a distant rhythm, which masked the sound of the prodigal son using a key he’d held onto for over twenty-five years.

Olivia was in the living room, sitting on the edge of the couch with a mug cradled between her hands. She had been mid-sentence with Malachi about something mundane when she looked up and froze. A girl stood quiet beside Maddox, her expression cautious, eyes scanning the apartment. Olivia’s gaze snagged on her face. For a heartbeat the world narrowed. Idália’s dark waves, the shape of her mouth, the way her eyes held a quiet resilience.

Olivia’s lips parted. “Noelle?” The word came out soft, more a plea than a question.

She didn’t have time to process before the room swam and she melted off the couch. Her knees buckled. Maddox rushed forward but Malachi moved in faster than his age should have allowed, catching her under the arms and easing her down to the floor, one hand steadying her neck and her head, the other curling protectively under her back.

“Liv, breathe,” he said quietly, his voice low and urgent.

Maddox reflexively dropped to one knee, eyes wide. “Mom?”

Olivia’s vision blurred. She blinked, trying to focus on the girl who hadn’t aged past four, who had died, who was somehow now standing there, small and real, beside the man who had vanished from all of their lives. Her hands trembled as she lifted them, reaching not quite in time. Idália flinched back a fraction, nervous, and Maddox closed the gap, placing a gentle hand at her back.

Malachi eased Olivia upright. She took a shaky breath, eyes still locked on Idália, trying to reconcile ghosts with flesh. “Maddox,” she said, voice raw, “...how?”

Maddox exhaled slowly. “Mom, Dad… this is Idália. Your… your granddaughter.”