Waking to Forever

Morning light filtered softly through the glass. Kaelen stirred, blinking against the brightness. For the first time in a long while, he’d slept in—deep, uninterrupted—and felt an unfamiliar sense of peace.

His eyes fell on the empty space beside him. He got up, freshened up, and slipped into a T-shirt and shorts. As he stepped out of the bedroom, the soft clatter of pots and pans drifted from th