Chapter 50

• "Mommy, are you okay?" my son, Gio, asked.
• His eyebrows furrowed as he stared at me, as if he could not understand my emotion right now. I smiled and forced a smile while frowning at him. We are here now in the room; it's eight o'clock and they need to sleep. I could see his small chest rising and falling with quiet breaths, and a twinge of guilt crept in, knowing that my own turmoil sometimes filtered through, even to them. I wanted to shield them from every worry, every thought that weighed me down, but right now it felt impossible.
• "I am fine, son. I'm just thinking about something," I replied and glanced at his twin sleeping soundly next to him. The gentle rise and fall of her chest reminded me of simpler times, of soft lullabies and warm blankets, and for a moment I let myself imagine a world where nothing complicated this peace.