By the time we got home...
I was emotionally exhausted.
Actually... That wasn't completely true. We didn't come home immediately.
Apparently, according to Luca "Sadness can only be cured by chocolate ice cream."
Nobody knew where he got that information.
Not even Luca.
He simply declared it with so much confidence that somehow Jake ended up driving us to an ice cream shop.
Then Luca had looked at Jake with the biggest puppy eyes I'd ever seen. "...Can I get the chocolate one?"
Jake folded his arms. "No."
"...Please?"
"No."
"...Pretty please?"
"No."
"...With extra chocolate?"
"...Absolutely not."
Luca gasped dramatically like Jake had personally betrayed humanity. "I've just lost my brother."
Jake sighed so loudly the cashier actually looked over. "...I'm standing right here."
"No."
"The brother I knew would've bought me chocolate."
Jake rubbed his forehead. "I bought you lunch yesterday."
"That's different."
"I bought you snacks."
"Different."
"I bought you bubble tea."
"Emotionally different."
"...You're impossible."
"I've been told."
Five minutes later...
Luca walked out proudly carrying the biggest chocolate ice cream on the menu.
Jake walked behind him looking like he had just lost an argument against life itself. "I can't believe I paid for that."
Luca happily took another spoonful. "I can."
Then he smiled at Jake. "...Thanks, big bro."
Jake looked away immediately. "...Yeah."
He pretended to sound annoyed.
But... He never once asked for his money back.
Now... We were finally home.
The mansion felt strangely peaceful.
It wasn't quiet.
Not really.
It was just...
Comfortable.
Liam had already gone home with his parents.
Emma had left too.
Mark had gone back to prepare for university.
Nena..
Mom sighed dramatically.
Then looked at Dad. "I'm buying groceries."
Dad laughed.
"No." He looked at all of us. "You're doing much more than that."
Mom raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
Dad smiled. "You just want to cook something special before everyone leaves."
Mom looked away. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"You absolutely do."
She stayed quiet.
Dad smiled even wider.
"You know..." He looked at me. "Your mother has been planning today's dinner since last week."
Mom immediately protested. "I have not."
"You made a shopping list. You color-coded it. You researched recipes."
She sighed. "...Fine."
"I did."
A warm feeling spread through my chest.
Soon...
Everyone would leave.
University.
Different cities.
Different lives.
Different schedules.
Maybe...
The next time we'd all eat together would be during semester breaks.
Christmas.
Or New Year.
That thought hurt more than I wanted to admit.
I quietly sighed.
Mom noticed immediately. "Ayana."
"Hm?"
She smiled gently. "Come here, darling."
"I need your help."
I smiled back. "Of course."
I walked into the kitchen, tying my blonde hair into a loose ponytail as I went.
Mom had already laid everything neatly across the counter.
Fresh carrots. Spring onions. Garlic. Bell peppers. Eggs.
And a bowl of marinated chicken.
The smell alone made me smile.
She was making...
Chicken Fried Rice.
My favorite.
The aroma of garlic frying gently in sesame oil filled the kitchen.
It smelled warm.
Like home.
Mom handed me a knife. "Can you cut the carrots?"
"You trust me with a knife?"
She looked at me. "...Should I?"
I laughed. "I've improved."
"We'll see."
I started slicing carefully while she stirred the rice in the large pan.
For a while... The only sounds were the knife against the cutting board...
The gentle sizzling... And the occasional clinking of utensils.
It felt... Peaceful.
I smiled to myself. "You know..."
Mom hummed.
"I remember when I used to complain every single time you called me into the kitchen."
She laughed softly. "Oh, I remember."
"I'd groan so loudly."
"You did."
"I'd say, 'Mom, why do I have to learn this?'"
She nodded without looking up. "And then I'd tell you... 'I want you to be independent.'"
We both laughed. "And you'd let Jake disappear upstairs."
Mom finally looked at me. "I did."
I narrowed my eyes dramatically. "Favoritism."
She gasped. "Absolutely not."
"It was."
She smiled. "Jake was different."
"Different?"
"He was stubborn."
I blinked. "...That's putting it nicely."
Mom laughed. "He was exactly like your father."
Dad shouted from the dining room without missing a beat.
"I heard that!"
Mom shouted back. "Good!"
Luca whispered loudly, "...She's fearless."
Jake nodded. "She's been dealing with Dad for years."
Dad sighed dramatically. "I feel attacked."
Mom ignored him completely.
She continued stirring the rice before speaking again.
"Your brother always wanted to solve everything with his fists."
I laughed. "That sounds like Jake."
"So I focused more on teaching you."
She smiled warmly. "I wanted my daughter to know how to take care of herself."
I looked down at the vegetables I was cutting. "...I learned a lot."
"You did."
There was another quiet moment.
Then... I lowered my voice. "Mom..."
"Hm?"
"What do you really think about Luca?"
Her hands paused for just a second. "...What do you mean?"
"I mean..."
I shrugged lightly. "We didn't know him. None of us did. We suddenly found out Dad had married someone else to help her... And that she had a son."
Mom nodded slowly. "I know."
She added another spoonful of soy sauce before speaking again. "Your father told me everything. He didn't hide anything. He loved someone who needed help. And that little boy came with her."
She smiled softly. "I've never blamed Luca for any of it."
I looked toward the dining room.
Luca was currently trying to steal chicken from Jake's plate. Jake slapped his hand away.
Luca tried again. Dad watched them like it was a television show.
Mom smiled too. "He's a very sweet boy."
She said quietly.
"He has one of the kindest hearts I've ever met. And..." She laughed a little. "He loves people. So openly. So honestly. It's actually rare these days."
I nodded. "...That's exactly what I think. Considering his age."
"I don't know how to explain it. He's just... Different." Mom smiled knowingly. "I think it's because of your father."
I blinked. "Dad?"
She nodded. "Your father has always loved loudly. He hugs. He praises. He encourages. He says 'I'm proud of you' without feeling embarrassed."
She placed another plate onto the counter. "Luca grew up with that. So showing affection became normal for him."
I smiled. "...That makes sense."
"It really does."
Mom finished serving the fried rice before placing all the plates onto a tray. "Come on. Let's feed those hungry boys."
The dining table was already occupied.
Dad sat at the head as usual.
Jake sat beside him.
Luca sat between both of them...
For reasons none of us understood.
Probably because he wanted to annoy Jake from the shortest possible distance.
The moment Mom placed the food down—
Luca's eyes sparkled. "Chicken fried rice! My favorite!"
Jake looked at him. "Everything is your favorite."
"It is."
"That's not normal."
"I appreciate food."
Dad nodded proudly. "Good mindset."
Jake sighed. "Don't encourage him."
We all started eating.
For a while... The only sounds were forks, quiet conversation, and Luca making suspiciously happy noises every few bites.
"This is so good."
He mumbled with a mouthful of rice.
Mom immediately pointed her spoon at him. "Swallow first."
He swallowed.
Then smiled. "This is so good."
"There. Much better."
Dad chuckled.
"So..." He looked at Jake. "How's business going?"
Jake wiped his mouth before answering. "We've finished negotiating with the suppliers."
Dad nodded thoughtfully. "And the expansion?"
"It's going well. We're just waiting for approval."
I quietly watched them.
It still amazed me.
A few years ago...
Jake couldn't sit still for five minutes.
Now... He was discussing business strategies with Dad like he'd been doing it his whole life.
He'd grown so much.
Dad smiled proudly. "I'm impressed."
Jake scratched the back of his neck. "...I learned from the best."
Dad looked suspiciously emotional for exactly two seconds.
Then immediately ruined it. "You know why I hired mirrors in my office?"
Jake sighed. "...Here we go."
"So I could always work with someone handsome."
Silence.
Complete silence.
Luca blinked once.
Twice.
Mom slowly took another bite.
I looked at Jake.
Jake looked at me.
Dad smiled proudly. "...Well? ...That was funny. Right?"
Luca slowly clapped. "...Wow."
Dad beamed. "Thank you."
"I'm clapping because that was brave."
Dad's smile disappeared. "...Brave?"
Jake buried his face in his hands. "I warned you."
Dad pointed his fork dramatically.
"Listen carefully." We all froze. "A good family..."
He stood up. "...Laughs at Dad jokes."
Nobody moved.
He looked around. "...Lesson number one. If Dad tells a joke—"
He pointed at Luca. "You laugh."
Luca nodded obediently. "Like this?"
He suddenly burst into the most fake laugh imaginable. "HAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Dad smiled proudly. "Excellent."
Jake deadpanned. "He's lying."
"I don't care."
Dad answered confidently. "I felt appreciated."
Mom laughed for real this time. "So did I."
I couldn't help it anymore. I laughed too. Not because the joke was funny.
It absolutely wasn't.
But because... This.
This table.
This laughter.
Dad pretending to be offended.
Mom smiling.
Jake trying—and failing—not to smile.
Luca happily eating while making everyone laugh anyway.
This... Was home.
And for the first time since Ethan's plane disappeared into the sky...
The ache in my chest didn't feel quite so heavy anymore.