Because I knew that my plan had worked.
Two days later,I drove to the construction site with Liam. I had brought my camera along because I needed to capture pictures of the progress of the building.
The morning air carried the scent of fresh lumber, concrete dust, and steel—the sharp industrial smell of a place slowly transforming from blueprints into something real.
“This place is really coming together,” Liam said as he leaned over my shoulder, checking out the previous shots I had taken on the camera screen.
“These look great,” he added with a satisfied nod. “I will send these to the IT department to put them on the website.”
“I’m glad you like them,” I replied, lowering the camera and adjusting the strap around my neck.
My relationship with my brother was even better than before. The bridge of silence that had grown after Eva and Chloe died had completely vanished. During the weekdays, we often grabbed lunch, sitting at small cafés or quick takeout spots near his office, talking about everything and nothing. Other times, he would pull me into one of his projects, asking for my help with photography or design ideas. More often than not, those workdays ended with him dragging me over to his house for dinner.
And I never really complained.
Spending time with his children, watching my niece and nephew run around the house laughing, reminded me painfully—and beautifully—of the days when Eva and I used to visit Liam with Chloe. Those memories no longer crushed me the way they once had. Instead, they carried a bittersweet warmth that reminded me what family felt like.
I had found that sense of belonging again.
The need to have family around me had slowly been filled.
And if I was being honest with myself, a large part of that healing had begun when Jiya walked into my life.
Even now, the thought of her stirred something complicated inside my chest.
The construction area buzzed with activity. Workers moved across the scaffolding, forklifts buzzed in the distance, and the constant clang of metal echoed across the open space.
I lifted my camera again, instinctively scanning the structure for good angles.
We walked toward the site manager, who greeted us and handed over safety helmets and reflective vests.
“Standard procedure,” he said with a quick smile.
I slipped the helmet on and adjusted the strap beneath my chin while Liam did the same.
With the camera hanging around my neck, we began walking through the site. Liam stayed a couple of steps behind me as I snapped photographs of steel beams, framing structures, and the skeletal outline of what would eventually become a fully functioning building.
Click.
Click.
Click.
Each shot captured a different stage of progress.
“So,” Liam said casually from behind me, stepping over a stack of wooden boards. “How’s it going with Stephanie?”
The question caught me slightly off guard.
I was about to answer when a sudden sound split through the air.
A loud crack.
Then a sharp snap.
Both Liam and I looked up instinctively.
My stomach dropped.
