I know what it does to a kid when adults make choices fueled by pain instead of clarity.
Jude and Claire were my escape. My found family.
They showed me what consistency looked like. What it meant to wake up knowing what kind of day you were walking into.
Amber doesn’t look capable of that right now.
“Amber,” I say carefully, keeping my voice calm even though my nerves are on fire, “this is a lot. Jude loves his niece. You can’t just take her because you’re hurting.”
She recoils like I slapped her. “I’m her family.”
“And he is her family, too,” I reply gently. “You both matter. But this feels like a breakdown, not a plan.”
Her eyes flash, then fill again. “You think I’m crazy.”
“No,” I say quickly. “I think you’re grieving and exhausted and terrified. That isn’t the same thing.”
She drags her hands down her face, palms trembling. “I lost my baby, Ryker. My body failed me. The love of my life left me. I wake up every morning and forget for half a second, and then it hits me all over again. I can’t breathe. Everywhere I look, I see what I don’t have anymore. She’s the only good thing in my life. I need her to stay alive. I need her.”
My chest tightens.
“I love Maisie,” she continues, voice cracking. “She’s the only thing that still makes sense. I just want her with me. I want to go somewhere quiet. Somewhere I can start over.”
“I get wanting to run,” I say. “Trust me, I do. But Maisie isn’t an anchor you grab while the boat is sinking. She deserves stability. She deserves routine. School. Friends. A dad who shows up every morning.”
Her jaw trembles. “You think I would hurt her?”
“I think you would never mean to,” I say honestly.
She starts crying again, shoulders shaking so hard the blanket slips. I reach out and pull it back around her, grounding without crowding.
“I don’t trust myself right now,” she whispers. “I’ve been snapping at strangers. I forget to eat. Sometimes I sit in the shower and just stare at the wall until the water goes cold.”
That admission lands heavy.
“We need Jude,” I say softly. “He needs to know what’s happening.”
Her head snaps up. “No. Not yet. Please.”
Before I can answer, there’s a knock at the door. My heart jumps straight into my throat.
The door opens a second later, Jude stepping in with a tired grin.
“You got coffee? I ran out and figured I would steal some before work.”
He freezes. Amber looks up at him.
For a moment, no one speaks.
“Amber?” Jude says slowly. “What are you doing here?”
Her composure shatters completely. She stands too fast, swaying, and Jude is across the room in two strides, catching her before she falls.
“Oh my god,” he murmurs. “What happened?”
“I lost the baby,” she sobs into his chest. “I lost him, Jude. And Luke isn’t coming back.”
Jude goes very still. His hand tightens in her hair, the other bracing her back like he’s afraid she might vanish.
