The warmth that followed my father's words settled comfortably around the table, lingering far longer than the conversation itself. For all the accomplishments I had achieved over the years, all the titles that had been attached to my name, and all the battles I had survived, none of them carried the same weight as hearing those simple words from him.
The quiet that followed felt natural rather than awkward, as though none of us wanted to disturb the fragile peace that had finally settled between us. Beyond the dome, the distant sounds of construction and activity continued uninterrupted, but inside our small corner of the world, everything felt strangely calm.
My mother was the first to break it. A smile slowly spread across her face, carrying an expression that immediately made me suspicious.
"Now that the important things are out of the way, let's discuss something much more serious."
A familiar sense of danger stirred in my chest.
