The morning started strangely.
At least, strange by mansion standards.
Leah was halfway through breakfast when Izana walked into the dining room and calmly announced:
"I'm not working today."
Silence.
Complete silence.
Leah slowly looked up from her tea.
Elias lowered his newspaper.
Even Zarek stopped eating his toast.
A few seconds later Dante entered the room carrying a folder.
He had clearly been expecting a normal workday.
Then he heard what Izana had said.
Dante stopped walking.
"...What?"
"I'm not working today."
Dante stared at him.
"You?"
"Yes."
"Voluntarily?"
"Yes."
Dante narrowed his eyes.
"Are you sick?"
Leah immediately laughed.
Izana looked entirely unimpressed.
"No."
"Hit your head?"
"No."
"Someone threaten you?"
"No."
Dante looked genuinely concerned now.
Leah had to bite her lip to stop herself from laughing.
Across the table, Zarek looked between them.
Confused.
"Da-da sick?"
"No."
"Da-da hurt?"
"No."
"Da-da sad?"
"No."
Dante pointed at Izana.
"See? Even your son thinks this is suspicious."
Izana ignored him.
Instead, he looked at Leah.
"Get ready."
Leah blinked.
"For what?"
"We're going out."
Now she was even more surprised.
"Out?"
"Yes."
"Where?"
Izana picked up his coffee.
"Somewhere."
Leah immediately recognized that answer.
Which meant he wasn't going to tell her.
A small smile appeared on her face.
"A surprise?"
"If you want to call it that."
Before Leah could ask anything else—
"Where go?"
All eyes shifted toward Zarek.
The toddler was now standing on his chair.
Very invested in this conversation.
Izana looked at him.
"It's a secret."
Zarek gasped.
"A secret?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because it's a secret."
A pause.
Then:
"Why?"
Dante immediately stood up.
"I'm leaving before this starts."
An hour later they were in the car.
Dante had reluctantly agreed to drive.
Mostly because nobody trusted Izana to have a peaceful family day and also focus on driving.
Zarek sat between Leah and Izana in the backseat.
His lion plush rested on his lap.
He had spent the entire journey asking questions.
And by entire journey—
the entire journey.
"Where go?"
"Secret."
"Why?"
"Because."
"Why?"
Dante gripped the steering wheel tighter.
Leah was trying very hard not to laugh.
Izana somehow remained completely calm.
Though she noticed he had started giving shorter answers.
A clear sign his patience was being tested.
Eventually the city began disappearing behind them.
Buildings gave way to open roads.
Open roads became rolling hills.
Leah's curiosity grew.
Because something about this route felt familiar.
Then she saw it.
The hill.
And suddenly she knew.
Her heart skipped.
"No way."
Izana glanced at her.
She looked back at him.
A smile slowly appeared.
"You remembered."
Izana didn't answer.
But he didn't need to.
A short while later they parked.
The moment Zarek was lifted from the car he immediately began looking around.
The hill stretched upward before them.
Tall grass moved gently in the wind.
Wildflowers dotted the landscape.
And at the very top—
stood the tree.
Ancient.
Massive.
Timeless.
Its enormous branches stretched across the sky.
Watching over the city below.
Exactly as it always had.
Leah felt a rush of memories.
Years ago.
Before marriage.
Before Zarek.
Before everything.
She and Izana had come here together.
This place had become theirs.
A place untouched by the chaos of their lives.
A place where nobody expected anything from them.
A place where they could simply exist.
She hadn't been back in years.
Not since Zarek was born.
Slowly they started walking up the hill.
Zarek immediately became distracted.
"Bug!"
He pointed dramatically.
A tiny ladybug sat on a flower.
Leah laughed.
"Yes."
"Bug."
"It is."
"Bug."
Izana picked him up before he could attempt to adopt the insect.
Zarek accepted this with surprising ease.
Mostly because being carried gave him a better view.
When they finally reached the tree, Leah stopped.
For a moment she simply stared.
The bark looked older.
The branches seemed larger.
But it was still the same tree.
The same place.
The same memories.
She slowly stepped forward.
Then reached out.
Her fingers brushed against the carving.
Still there.
Even after all these years.
Two sets of initials.
Carved carefully into the bark.
IG + LG
Leah smiled.
A soft, emotional smile.
"I can't believe they're still here."
Izana stepped beside her.
"They were never going anywhere."
Leah traced the carving gently.
Memories flooded back.
Conversations.
Promises.
Moments shared beneath these branches.
Everything that had brought them here.
To this life.
To this family.
Then a small voice interrupted.
"What's that?"
They looked down.
Zarek was staring at the carving.
Leah crouched beside him.
"Those are Mama's and Da-da's initials."
Zarek blinked.
"Your what?"
Leah smiled.
"The first letters of our names."
"Oh."
He stared again.
Thinking.
Then—
"Why?"
Of course.
Leah should have expected that.
Izana answered.
"So we'd remember."
Zarek considered that.
Then nodded seriously.
"Otay."
They eventually settled beneath the tree.
Leah leaned comfortably against the trunk.
The city stretched below them.
Beautiful.
Peaceful.
Far enough away to seem almost unreal.
Zarek sat between them.
Playing with his plush lion.
Everything felt perfect.
Then Leah noticed movement.
Izana had reached into his pocket.
A familiar knife appeared in his hand.
She immediately knew what he was doing.
Slowly he moved toward the tree.
Leah's breath caught.
For a moment she simply watched.
Without speaking.
Without interrupting.
Carefully.
Precisely.
Izana began carving.
The knife moved smoothly against the bark.
Each line deliberate.
Each movement steady.
Zarek watched too.
Completely fascinated.
"Da-da drawing?"
A faint smile appeared on Izana's face.
"Something like that."
Several minutes later he finished.
Then stepped back.
Leah stood.
Slowly walking closer.
And when she saw it—
her chest tightened.
Because beneath their initials—
another set had appeared.
ZG
Zarek Grimshaw.
Directly beneath theirs.
Leah stared.
Unable to look away.
Years ago there had only been two initials.
Now there were three.
A family.
Their family.
Permanent.
Together.
Part of the same tree.
Part of the same place.
Part of the same story.
She felt tears sting her eyes.
Not from sadness.
From happiness.
The quiet kind.
The kind that sneaks up on you.
Beside her, Izana remained silent.
But she knew he understood.
Because he was looking at it the same way she was.
Not just initials.
A reminder.
Of everything they had built together.
"Me."
Both adults looked down.
Zarek was pointing proudly at the carving.
"Me."
Leah laughed softly.
"Yes."
"Me too."
"Yes."
A huge smile appeared on his face.
As if he had just received some important promotion.
Which, in his mind, he probably had.
He immediately pointed again.
"Me there."
"You are."
Zarek nodded.
Satisfied.
Completely.
The afternoon passed slowly after that.
They ate lunch together beneath the tree.
Watched clouds drift across the sky.
Listened to the wind moving through the branches.
Eventually Zarek's energy began fading.
His words became quieter.
His movements slower.
Leah immediately noticed.
"So tired."
Zarek rubbed one eye.
"No."
Then yawned.
Leah laughed.
"Of course."
A few minutes later he had climbed into Izana's lap.
Lion plush tucked under one arm.
Head resting against Izana's chest.
The battle was already lost.
His eyes slowly closed.
Then stayed closed.
Asleep.
Izana adjusted him slightly.
Making sure he was comfortable.
Leah watched them.
Her heart melting.
The most feared man in the city sitting beneath an ancient tree.
Holding a sleeping toddler.
The same toddler who had spent the past week asking for a baby sister.
The image was almost too much.
Eventually Leah shifted closer.
Resting against Izana's shoulder.
Neither of them spoke.
There was no need.
The city stretched endlessly below them.
The ancient tree stood above them.
And carved into its bark were three initials.
A simple reminder.
Years ago this place had belonged to two people.
Now it belonged to three.
And as Leah looked at the carving one last time, she realized something.
The tree hadn't changed.
The hill hadn't changed.
The city hadn't changed.
But their lives had.
And somehow, sitting beneath those branches with Izana beside her and Zarek asleep in his arms—
she knew she wouldn't change a single thing.