Page 29 of Shattering

Cadi hesitated for a moment before guiding Tomos inside, the boy still eerily quiet, his little hand gripping the strap of his backpack.

Once inside, she looked at Callum, her voice uncertain for the first time that day.

"Can we stay with you?" Her throat felt tight. "Just for a couple of days?"

Callum's gaze softened, but he didn't ask questions.

"Yeah." He nodded, shutting the door behind them. "Of course."

Just like that.

Chapter 19

Callum took one look at Tomos' face and, without hesitation, took over the task of cheering him up.

He moved around the kitchen easily, his sleeves rolled up, a tea towel slung over his shoulder as he ladled warm soup into a bowl, setting it in front of the quiet little boy along with a few slices of buttered toast.

"Eat up, lad. You look half-starved."

Tomos, to his credit, didn't protest. He picked at his toast for a moment before taking a small sip of the soup, his shoulders relaxing slightly.

Cadi barely touched her own food.

She just sat in the sitting room, her gaze wandering across the bookshelves lining the walls. It looked like an old professor's study—the kind of room where time didn't exist, only words and quiet thoughts.

She barely noticed when Callum and Tomos slipped outside, kicking the ball back and forth in the small backyard. The sounds of their laughter and playful shouts drifted through the open window, but Cadi just sat there, numb.

Somehow, she made it through the rest of the evening.

The bath. The brushing of teeth. The bedtime story.

She tucked Tomos in, sliding the frayed red blanket over him, feeling the warmth of it beneath her fingers before pulling the quilt over both of them. It smelled like him—like soap and the faint scent of the outdoors.

He watched her with sleepy eyes as she sat beside him, telling the story of the Billy Goats Gruff—the way she had done since he was little.

"And then the biggest billy goat stomped his hooves and sent the troll flying off the bridge."

Tomos' lashes fluttered. His fingers clutched the edge of the blanket.

Then, in a small, hesitant voice—

"Mam... are you and Da getting de-voiced?"

Cadi's breath caught.

He didn't quite get the word right, but he understood the meaning.

Her heart twisted painfully.

"Gina's da and mam got divorced," he continued drowsily. "And she was always cryin'... And then her da got a girlfriend. But she didn't like her."

Cadi swallowed hard, pushing his damp curls away from his forehead.

She didn't want to lie.

But the word yes wouldn't come out.

Instead, she whispered, "Your da and I are fighting. But adults do that sometimes. It doesn't mean we don't love you."

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