The park was empty. Late autumn light filtered through bare branches, casting long shadows across the damp grass. A swing creaked in the wind. Nothing else moved.

Y/N stood twenty feet away, her back half-turned, a hand resting on each of the small shoulders pressed against her legs. Two children. Small. Clinging to her like she was the only safe thing in the world.

He didn’t answer. He couldn’t.

Y/N didn’t speak. Her hands moved instinctively, pulling the twins closer. Her jaw tightened. Her eyes were unreadable.

Silence stretched between them, heavy and unbearable.