Unloved In His Own Home

a package arrive

pple pie, her signature, and

ples filled his kitchen, a b

ne smile for the f

o call her to say than

was Mrs. Gable, their old

rrow that made Ethan' s stomach clen

ere' s... there' s

... Ethan, s

register at first

s morning, dear. It was ver

en.

counter, its comforting a

elt heavy i

hen chair, the phone s

ief. N

a dream, a horrible, vivid nightma

ther. The one person in the wor

o

a, his voice me

ad passed away. He told

e. Look, Ethan, Chloe has her recital this weekend, and I h

No offer of supp

e didn't have the ener

. He was t

his hometown, a

filled with familiar fa

een well-loved i

nd whipping around him, feeling n

ir absence was a glaring hole, a sil

t the church hall, he overhe

son' s family co

k, for his o

dding a layer of public humi

ir pity, th

ouse, the house he grew up in, he f

red. "Visit Ethan - Bake Pie!" he

To see him. To bring him her lo

of his loss, crashed ove

refully constructed dam of h

r, Julian Vance was moving more o

lf comfortable, ass

to Chloe with renewed enthusiasm, eager to im

h her homework (or rather, had his assist

eeling from his mother' s death and the funeral, he found himself

to bake her

andwritten recipe card, s

nal tradition, a way

er instructions, the famil

with the scent of apples and ci

then went out for a long, solitar

e house felt differe

me. And Chloe

the dining ro

d in. An

. His mother'

f it was gone, c

and, a smear of filling

ur pie. A bit... rustic, isn' t it?

. Dism

His mother' s pie

ade to honor her, to c

htlessly, crit

nsideration for something so sentimentally va

resentment, and quiet endu

mild surprise at his sudden appearan

ce low, trembling with a rage

ivia said, rais

ted, his voice rising. "All of

as my mother' s recipe. Today is my birthday. My first without

via said, a hint of annoyance i

torn from his soul. "It was about respect! Something you

ed by his uncharacteristic

pression flickered acros

lly be with Juli

cool, regaining her composur

e, but one similar. He re-established his custom furni

arth local school librarian. She was th

utual respect. He formed a loving, paternal bond with Lily, who ad

quiet ceremony, full of w

th Julian didn' t become the

the daily responsibilities of family life, especially when Chloe

, "networking," or aw

reasingly demanding schedule and emotional needs. She started to miss the quiet

see the cracks in Jul

d, or offered superficial, unhelpful advice. She started to miss Ethan' s steadfast presence, his quiet

, or in a desperate attempt to re-engage Eth

urniture storefr

aw Ethan exiting, laughing

tedly to Ethan. Sarah linked her arm through his, her smile r

han and Lily at a school father-daughter

, confused, hurt. She caused a minor scene, tear

polite, distant, but firm.

stark contrast to her own unfulfilled expectations wit

you' re finding things difficult with... Lily... I coul

en at Sarah, a gentle s

on' t be necessary. Sarah is m

clined, the finality in

hrived. His furniture was sought

a weekend ritual. They wo

his storefront, Chloe pe

ented, observing him from a distance as he cha

in Europe, seeking her own path,

estigious business publication,

anding career, her dedicatio

empty penthouse, she often found herse

of his quiet love, the steadfastn

her profound, i

and dependable. Her pursuit of Julian had been a chase for an illusion

the same way again. And the person they were about, the person who gave them that meaning, is long gone from that con