Tears welled in the old woman's eyes as her frail voice cracked.
"We are already old…"
She thought he had long forgotten everything they once shared, that the years had erased the bond they built.
James exhaled deeply, his gaze softening. "Come, taste what I've cooked for you."
A smile tugged at Amari's lips as she watched James carefully guide Grandma Josefina toward the dining table. His movements were gentle, filled with a respect and tenderness that made her chest ache. He pulled the chair for the old woman and helped her sit down, as though she were the most fragile treasure in the world.
Amari's eyes roamed the room. The celebration was still alive with chatter, the clinking of glasses, and bursts of laughter echoing around. Yet amidst the brightness, her gaze found Arianne—still present, but dimmer now. The lively spark that earlier lit her eyes seemed to have been doused, replaced by a distant heaviness.
