The apartment felt almost too still. Katherine had never realized how much the absence of sound could weigh until now.
The twins' voices broke the silence first, high but uncertain, almost as if they were afraid of shattering something fragile.
"Uncle Leonard?" Maya called, her tone soft but quivering with eagerness.
From somewhere down the short hallway came a steady reply, calm but faint. "I'm here."
Relief swept over the twins' faces in an instant. Their shoulders sagged, the tension leaving their small bodies as though someone had released a string wound too tightly inside them. With matching gasps, they darted forward, their shoes tapping lightly against the wooden floor as they hurried toward his room.
