ARIA
Mom's eyes lit up the second she saw me.
"Aria…" Her voice was raspy, but her smile was everything I remembered. "You look even more beautiful than the last time. Your boss must be taking good care of you at work."
I smiled for her. Small. Gentle. My lips twitched like they knew how to play the part even when my chest didn't know how to feel.
Next to me, Olivia sniffled and wiped her nose with the back of her hand. "Mom, please…" Her voice broke. "You have to stay strong. Don't go yet. Please."
Our mother turned to her, eyes soft, tired, already sinking somewhere far away. She reached out and gently petted Olivia's hair like she used to when we were kids. "I'm not going anywhere today, sweetheart. Don't cry."
I watched them. The way Olivia folded into our mom's embrace like a girl again, like time hadn't passed. The way our mom smiled through pain and patted her, the way a mother holds the world together even as hers falls apart.
And I just watched.
