The morning sunlight spilled into the bedroom, warm and golden. Nora was already dressed for work, her hair neatly pinned, her crimson nails tapping lightly on the long list she and Zayan had made the night before—everything Lysander would need for his homeschooling setup. Books. Art supplies. Educational games. A comfortable desk. The list went on, covering the entire sheet.
Downstairs, she dressed Seraphina and Liam for school.
"Mama, Larry's not going to school?" Liam asked, his voice hesitant.
"No, baby," Nora said softly, buttoning his shirt.
"He's going to be homeschooled now," Zayan added from the doorway.
Liam's face fell. "Aw…" His lower lip trembled. "Liam will miss Larry in school."
A tear slid down his cheek. "My Larry…" His voice cracked, and then he was crying—big, heavy sobs—before tumbling into Zayan's arms.
Zayan chuckled softly, rubbing his back.
"Baby, Larry will be here at home," Nora soothed, brushing her fingers through Liam's hair.
Liam peeked at her through watery eyes, then covered his face, still crying.
Lysander appeared quietly, walking over to his younger brother. "I'll be fine, Li-li. And I'll be here waiting for you and Lilly every day, okay?" He cupped Liam's cheeks gently.
Liam sniffled, nodded, and clung to him once more. Nora bent down to kiss Lysander's head, and Zayan followed suit.
"My darlings," Nora whispered.
Seraphina and Liam climbed into the school van, Hael and Winter already inside.
"It's okay, Li-li, we're here," Hael said.
"Yeah," Winter added with a reassuring smile.
Liam nodded, wiping his eyes.
Back inside, Lysander was dressed in a pure white long-sleeve shirt and matching pants, soft blue furry socks on his feet. Zayan sat at the table feeding Elowen, who stared up at him with Nora's same piercing eyes. She was a little foodie, just like her mama.
Raphael stepped in with Catalina.
"Hey, Larry," Raphael greeted warmly.
"Uhmm… Zayan, I'm taking your mother out on a date tonight. Just like old times," Raphael announced.
Zayan looked up, half laughing. "Heh?"
He pulled out his phone and called his sisters. "Yeah, hello?"
"Yeah?" Meira, Melanie, and Creise all answered at once.
"Your father just said he wants to take Mom on a date."
"Tf!" Meira blurted.
"Huh?" Melanie was confused.
"It's not bad if he does," Creise offered.
"No!" Zayan and Meira said at the same time.
Before the conversation could go further, Lysander snatched the phone from Zayan's hand.
"Hi, Aunties. Papa will call you back. Grandpa and Grandma are going on a date tonight, okay? Bye!" And he ended the call without hesitation.
"Papa, bring yourself down to my height," Lysander demanded.
"Heh?" Zayan chuckled.
"Dad, bend down. I'm not tall like you."
Zayan sighed but knelt. "Alright, I'm here."
Lysander's eyes were serious. "Grandpa wants to make up for past mistakes. I can tell when someone means it or not—and he means it. You always tell us to let go of our past, our mistakes, and our traumas. But you're holding on to yours, Papa, and it's making you hurt… and miserable. So please… on behalf of Grandpa, let them go. Let them have this date—for me, my siblings, and Mama too." He clasped his small hands together.
Zayan looked at his parents, then at his son. "Fine," he muttered, rolling his eyes. "But if you hurt her, I'll kill you. Got it?"
"Yeah, I know," Raphael said with a smirk. "Thank you, Larry." He hugged his grandson tightly.
At Nora's office, she was already in full work mode, placing a massive homeschooling order online.
Meeri walked in, handing her a file. "Here's the report you asked for."
"Thanks. Where's Ciro?"
"Oh—he's sick. His mom's taking care of him," Meeri replied.
"Oh. Okay," Nora said, shifting her attention back to her list.
Back at home, Zayan was transforming a large spare room into a mini school. He cleaned every corner, set up shelves, arranged a small library, desks, boards, and art tables. Lysander sat nearby, quietly drawing while sipping his juice.
Kim—Elowen's nickname—was napping, having only woken for her bottle earlier. She cried sometimes, but always fell back asleep quickly.
After four hours, the room was done. Zayan collapsed onto the couch for a much-needed nap.
When Nora returned home, she found him still resting.
"Hey, my lovely son," she greeted Lysander, kissing his cheek.
The other kids ran inside.
"Hi, Larry!" they chorused.
"Hello, everyone," he replied warmly, hugging them.
Seraphina skipped upstairs while Liam hopped on the steps, counting aloud. "One, two, three, four, five—MY LARRY!" He darted to Lysander, giggling as they hugged.
Nora watched with a soft smile. Zayan stirred awake, straightening his shirt.
"Hey, baby," he murmured, kissing Nora's lips.
"Hi, darling," she replied.
"Thank you, Papa," Lysander said to Zayan.
"You're welcome, my boy," Zayan replied.
Elowen was now awake, and Alex called to remind Zayan about an important meeting tomorrow.
"Papa, no school tomorrow—we have midterms," Seraphina announced.
Zayan's lips curved into a grin. "Wanna come to the office with me tomorrow?"
She nodded eagerly.
That night, Liam fell asleep in Lysander's arms as his brother read him a bedtime story. Seraphina, curled up beside them, soon drifted off as well.
Nora cradled Elowen, her gaze soft as Zayan wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, burying his face into her neck.
She smiled quietly at her wonderful family.