The house was unusually quiet when they returned.
Ethan had already fallen asleep in the guest room upstairs—his crayons still scattered on the floor, his little hand wrapped around his stuffed lion. Adrian carried him gently to bed, brushing a strand of hair from the boy's forehead.
Sophia watched from the doorway, arms crossed, unsure if she should speak or simply vanish into her room.
"He looks like you when he sleeps," Adrian said softly.
Sophia's voice caught in her throat. "He used to talk about an imaginary doctor when he was younger. Said the doctor had a kind voice… warm hands."
Adrian looked back at her. "I didn't know I left a mark."
"You didn't. Not just a mark," she said, stepping into the room. "You left a hole. One I tried to fill with lies."
A long silence hung between them.
"He's your son," she whispered. "I can't deny that anymore. I never could."
Adrian's eyes didn't blink. "Then stop running."
Sophia flinched. "I'm not—"
"Yes, you are. Every time I get close, you shut the door. We may be married on paper, but you've built a wall so high even Ethan can't climb it."
She didn't respond.
Because he wasn't wrong.
---
Later that night, rain tapped gently against the windows. Sophia stood by the kitchen sink, a glass of water in hand, replaying his words in her head.
When she turned around, she nearly dropped the glass.
Adrian stood at the doorway, hair damp, shirt unbuttoned at the top, eyes tired but still searching.
"You should sleep," she said.
"I can't."
She tried to step past him, but he blocked her path—not forcefully, just enough.
"I'm not asking for forgiveness," he said quietly. "Not tonight. I'm asking to stay."
Her breath caught. "You already are."
"No," Adrian whispered. "I mean really stay."
A pause.
Something broke inside her then. Maybe it was fear. Maybe it was the years she'd spent pretending.
She turned her back, placing the glass down carefully. "One night. That's all."
"I'll take it," he said.
But neither of them moved.
Because they both knew—
Some walls don't fall with time.
Some fall with a touch.