IVAN'S POV
By 6 a.m. on the dot, I was once again at Maeve's door—what they didn't know was that I hadn't had a wink of sleep all night. The only ray of sunshine for me was spending the day with Asha—well, half of it.
"Bye, Mummy!" Asha waved enthusiastically, dressed for the occasion. "I'll make sure to bring you a nice little fish."
"Alright, honey. I'll be looking forward to it." She returned his wave with a big smile, and though her form was still sleepy, her expression hardened for a second when our eyes met—a silent warning in them: Asha must be safe.
We engaged in an awkward parting moment before I took Asha's backpack from his grip and led the way down the hallway.
At the lake, Asha and I set up our seats and fishing gear right in front of the shimmering water.
There was a cooler on the ground, filled with bait.
