Nadia finally pulled back, her hands lingering on Mika's shoulders as if she was afraid he might disappear if she let go completely.
She wanted to say something—wanted to tell him how happy she was that he was finally home, how much it meant to her that he was standing here on this doorstep.
Because this wasn't just any house.
This was 'the' house where everyone had lived before they went their separate ways.
Before the distances grew, before the walls went up, before the family scattered like leaves in the wind.
Now only she and Astrid remained here, rattling around in a space that had once been so full of life and laughter.
But even they barely spoke. Even they existed as ghosts in the same halls.
So to see Mika standing here, carrying his sleeping sister on his back, looking at her with those familiar eyes—
It made her happier than she could ever express.
But before she could say any of that, something else caught her attention.
Astrid.
