Chapter 238: Coming Home

LUMINA But it was also where Riley and Ollie belonged. Where their future lay, where they would grow up and find their place in the world. And despite everything that had happened between us, I couldn't abandon my sons to face that future without their mother. "Lumina?" Xenois's voice was carefully neutral, but I could hear the underlying tension in it. He was asking a question that went far beyond simple logistics -- he was asking whether I was willing to return to a life that had nearly destroyed me once before. I looked at Riley, who had finished his meal and was now waiting with the patient resignation of someone who understood that cooperation led to rewards. My complicated, traumatized, brilliant son who needed stability and consistency more than he needed anything else in the world. Then I thought of Ollie, probably playing with his toys in the living room, trusting that the adults in his life would make decisions that kept him safe and loved. "I'll come back," I said finally, t