---
Chapter 98 – Liam's POV
"They Think I Don't Know"
Adults think kids don't notice anything.
They think we're too busy watching cartoons, eating cereal, or getting scolded for leaving Legos on the stairs.
But they're wrong.
I noticed everything.
I noticed when Mommy stopped laughing.
I noticed when Daddy started sleeping in the other room.
I noticed when Mommy's eyes looked puffy in the mornings, like she cried through the night.
And I noticed when the house felt cold, even though it was sunny outside.
But today… something was different.
---
It started with breakfast.
Mommy actually came downstairs before 10 a.m.
She was wearing one of Daddy's old hoodies, and her hair was in a messy bun—not the fancy kind she usually wore, but the one she did when she was tired but trying.
She smiled at me. A real one.
Not the small one she gave when she was pretending.
A soft, sleepy smile that reached her eyes.
And then…
She sat beside Daddy.
Not across the room.
Not in silence.
Beside him.
Daddy froze for a second like he couldn't believe it either. Then he smiled so wide I thought his face might crack open.
They didn't say much, but the way Mommy leaned against his arm said everything.
I kept chewing my cereal like it was just a regular morning.
But inside, I wanted to shout: "Finally!"
---
After breakfast, I followed Daddy to the garden while Mommy rested. He was planting some flowers because the doctor said Mommy needed calming things around her.
"I'm planting lavender," he told me. "It helps Mommy sleep better."
"Is that why you've been learning how to cook too?" I asked, grinning.
He chuckled. "Yeah. That and because your mom has cravings every five minutes."
I squinted. "She asked for mangoes and boiled eggs last night. Together."
"Don't remind me," Daddy groaned.
We both laughed.
Then I said, "You're staying this time, right?"
He stopped digging and looked at me.
"Always," he said. "Even when things are hard."
I believed him.
Because this time, he didn't say it like a promise.
He said it like a fact.
---
Later that evening, I peeked into the living room and saw something that made my heart feel warm and gooey inside.
Mommy's legs were on Daddy's lap.
He was rubbing her feet while she had her head tilted back, eyes closed, a small smile on her lips.
They looked like the old days.
Before everything went weird.
Before Mommy stopped drawing.
Before Daddy moved out for a bit.
Before those scary quiet nights.
I tiptoed away, careful not to interrupt.
But I smiled the whole way back to my room.
---
That night, Mommy tucked me in for the first time in a while.
She ran her fingers through my hair and kissed my forehead like she always used to.
"You're happy again," I said.
She blinked, surprised. "What do you mean?"
"You're smiling. Laughing. Eating more. Daddy's back."
She hesitated.
Then she smiled. "We're trying."
I sat up a little. "But you forgive him, right?"
Her face changed.
Just a little.
She looked at the window for a second, then back at me.
"I'm… not there yet, sweetheart," she said gently.
"But you will be," I said, nodding like I already knew.
She chuckled and hugged me tight.
"I love you so much," she whispered.
"I know," I whispered back. "And I love you too."
---
After she left, I stared at the ceiling in the dark.
I knew she hadn't forgiven him yet.
But I also knew something even more important.
She wanted to.
And that made all the difference.
Because forgiveness isn't about forgetting.
It's about letting love be stronger than pain.
And Mommy?
She was strong.
She just needed time.
But Daddy?
Daddy was finally doing it right.
And me?
I'd be right here.
Drawing pictures.
Telling bad jokes.
And holding them both together, even if they didn't realize it.
Because this family?
We're worth fighting for.
---
End of Chapter 98 – Liam's POV