Later that night, the house was quiet again. Maya sat on the sofa, tea cooling beside her, her body heavy with the weight of the day. But inside, she felt calm. Content. She had helped someone when it mattered—and as tired as she was, that felt deeply right.
A few days later, the doorbell rang. Maya opened it to find Ester and Juno on her porch. Ester held a small cake box in one hand, and a bouquet of sunflowers in the other. “We just wanted to say thank you,” she said softly. “For not leaving us alone.”