She frowned, studying him like a puzzle.
“Mom… we have to talk louder,” she whispered.
Something shifted in Ethan’s chest.
Something he hadn’t felt in months.
That night, the house was too quiet.
Rosa came back for blankets. She hadn’t meant to go in—but she saw him there, sitting by the crib, holding a glass he hadn’t touched.
He looked… broken.
“Your daughter…” he said without looking at her. “She talked to him.”
Rosa hesitated.
“She’s just a child…”
“No,” he interrupted softly. “She treated him like a person.”
The silence between them changed.
It wasn’t cold anymore.
It was human.
“She doesn’t know some things can’t be fixed,” Rosa said quietly.
Ethan let out a bitter laugh.
“Or maybe we’re the ones who forgot how to try differently.”
The next morning… something changed.
Or at least, it began to.
Rosa walked into the nursery—and froze.
Lily had turned the crib into something strange.
Colorful ribbons.
Soft fabrics.
A little rattle tucked inside.
“What are you doing?” Rosa asked, half shocked, half worried.
“A party.”
“What?”
“He’s never had one,” Lily said seriously. “That’s not fair.”
Rosa opened her mouth to stop her—
But then it happened.
Something so small… anyone could miss it.
Noah’s fingers… moved.