Saturday morning arrived quietly.
For once, there were no doctor's appointments.
No hospital visits.
No school runs.
At least not for Sebastian.
The only problem was that Lillian couldn't spend the day at home.
A few reports needed to be submitted at work.
A meeting had been moved forward.
And despite working remotely, there were still some things she had to handle in person.
"I won't be long."
Lillian stood near the front door collecting her things.
Ellie looked disappointed.
"Mommy work?"
"Just for a little while."
Lillian crouched down in front of her daughter.
"Then I'll come straight back."
Ellie considered this.
Then pointed at Sebastian.
"Daddy stay?"
Lillian smiled.
"Yes."
The disappointment vanished instantly.
"Okay!"
Sebastian looked mildly offended.
"That was easy."
Lillian laughed.
"You expected a fight?"
"A little."
"Sorry."
Ellie wrapped both arms around his leg.
"Daddy fun."
Sebastian glanced down.
The betrayal was unbelievable.
Lillian stood up.
Then immediately shifted into what Sebastian privately called Nurse Mode.
"Take your medication on time."
Sebastian sighed.
"Lillian—."
"Eat lunch."
"Lillian."
"Drink water."
"Lillian."
"No work."
Sebastian stared.
"I don't even have my laptop."
"You have a phone."
A fair point.
"And call me if anything happens."
"Lillian."
"What?"
"I'm recovering from liver failure."
A pause.
"Not joining a space mission."
Lillian rolled her eyes.
Then grabbed her bag.
"Just behave."
Sebastian looked genuinely offended.
"I always behave."
Lillian started laughing before she could stop herself.
Neither of them believed that.
A few minutes later the apartment door closed behind her.
And it was just Sebastian and Ellie.
For a while, the morning passed peacefully.
They drew pictures.
Or rather, Ellie drew pictures.
Sebastian was instructed to participate.
His artistic abilities remained deeply questionable.
Then they built towers out of blocks.
Ellie built impressive structures.
Sebastian accidentally knocked one over.
Twice.
"Daddy!"
"It was unstable."
"It wasn't."
"It definitely was."
Ellie disagreed.
Strongly.
By lunchtime they were sitting together on the couch watching cartoons.
Ellie was curled up beside him.
Sebastian found himself relaxing.
Actually relaxing.
Something he hadn't done in years.
For a little while everything felt normal.
Then the craving started.
At first it was subtle.
Easy to ignore.
A restless feeling.
A familiar itch beneath his skin.
Sebastian immediately recognized it.
And hated it.
His jaw tightened.
Not now.
Not today.
Not here.
He shifted slightly.
Tried focusing on the television.
Tried focusing on Ellie.
Tried focusing on literally anything else.
It didn't help.
The craving grew stronger.
His thoughts became louder.
The desire more persistent.
Just one drink.
One sip.
Enough to make the feeling stop.
Enough to quiet everything.
Sebastian stood abruptly.
"I'm going to get something."
Ellie looked up.
"Okay."
He headed toward the kitchen.
Opening a cupboard.
Then another.
Then another.
Not really looking for anything.
Just moving.
Trying to distract himself.
Trying not to think.
The refrigerator opened.
Then closed.
A drawer.
Another cupboard.
Nothing.
A few moments later small footsteps appeared behind him.
Ellie.
Of course.
"Daddy?"
Sebastian looked down.
"Hm?"
"What are you looking for?"
For a moment he didn't answer.
Then finally said:
"I'm thirsty."
It wasn't entirely a lie.
Ellie nodded thoughtfully.
Then brightened.
"Oh!"
Sebastian immediately became suspicious.
"Oh?"
"Mommy hid lots of bottles."
Everything inside him froze.
"What?"
Ellie nodded enthusiastically.
"Lots."
Sebastian stared.
His pulse quickened.
"What kind of bottles?"
Ellie shrugged.
"The grown-up kind."
The answer was innocent.
Completely innocent.
But it landed like a punch.
Because suddenly he knew.
There was alcohol somewhere in the apartment.
Lillian hadn't thrown it away.
She'd hidden it.
Sebastian looked away.
Trying to ignore the thought.
Trying to ignore the craving.
Failing.
"Where?"
Ellie pointed vaguely.
"Mommy packed them."
Not helpful.
At all.
A few minutes later Ellie returned to her cartoons.
Sebastian remained standing in the kitchen.
His mind racing.
There was alcohol somewhere.
Close enough to reach.
Close enough to stop this feeling.
He shouldn't look.
He knew that.
Absolutely knew it.
Yet somehow he found himself searching.
At first he told himself he was only checking.
Just seeing if Ellie was right.
Nothing more.
Nothing dangerous.
Another lie.
He checked the hall cupboard.
Nothing.
Storage closet.
Nothing.
Kitchen cabinets.
Nothing.
Living room shelves.
Nothing.
The longer he searched, the worse the craving became.
Until eventually only one place remained.
The bedrooms.
He already knew there was nothing in the guest room.
And Lillian would never hide alcohol in Ellie's room.
Which left one possibility.
Lillian's bedroom.
Sebastian stood outside the door.
For several seconds.
Knowing he shouldn't go inside.
Knowing he should stop.
Instead he opened the door.
The room looked exactly as it always did.
Neat.
Organized.
Comforting.
He crossed to the wardrobe.
Opened it.
Started searching.
A few minutes later his hand touched cardboard.
A box.
Hidden near the back.
Sebastian's heart started pounding.
Slowly he pulled it forward.
Opened it.
And immediately found what he was looking for.
Bottles.
Several of them.
For a moment he simply stared.
The craving roared to life.
Louder than ever.
His hands trembled.
His chest felt tight.
Just one sip.
That's all.
One sip wasn't drinking.
One sip wouldn't matter.
One sip couldn't hurt.
The lies came easily.
Far too easily.
Sebastian grabbed one of the bottles.
Unscrewed the cap.
And hesitated.
One final chance to stop.
One final chance to walk away.
Instead he lifted the bottle.
And took a sip.
The burn hit immediately.
Sharp.
Familiar.
For a split second relief followed.
The craving eased.
His body relaxed.
His mind quieted.
And Sebastian hated how good it felt.
Because he knew exactly what that meant.
The guilt arrived almost immediately.
Heavy.
Suffocating.
Yet somehow the craving wasn't gone.
It was worse.
Much worse.
His eyes dropped to the bottle.
Then slowly he lifted it again.
Ready for another sip.
A key turned in the front door.
Sebastian froze.
The sound hit him like a gunshot.
Lillian.
She was home.
Panic immediately replaced everything else.
He shoved the bottle back into the box.
Closed it.
Pushed it back into the wardrobe.
Trying desperately to leave everything exactly as it had been.
His heart hammered against his ribs.
Then he left the room.
Moving quickly through the apartment.
Back to the living room.
Back to the couch.
Just as the front door opened.
Lillian stepped inside.
"I'm back."
Ellie immediately jumped up.
"Mommy!"
Lillian laughed as her daughter raced toward her.
Scooping her into her arms.
"Did you have fun?"
"Yep!"
Sebastian remained seated.
Trying to appear normal.
Trying to slow his breathing.
Trying not to think about the alcohol still burning faintly in his throat.
Lillian smiled at him.
Completely unaware.
For now.
And as Sebastian forced himself to smile back, one terrifying realization settled into his chest.
The craving hadn't disappeared.
Not after the sip.
Not even close.
If anything...
It had become stronger.