Victor did not come that evening.
There was no message explaining his absence. No apology wrapped in courtesy. No reassurance offered in advance. Willow noticed only because she had half expected him to, because for weeks his presence had been as constant as medication schedules and NICU updates. Predictable. Reliable. Heavy in its own way.
The absence felt deliberate.
Respectful.
Final.
Zane noticed it too, though he did not comment. He moved through the suite with the same quiet attentiveness he had carried all day. He reheated food she barely touched. Lowered the lights as dusk settled in. Folded the blanket back over her legs when she drifted without realizing she had.
Nothing about him asked to be seen.
That, Willow realized, was the difference.
