He's always been strong, she said. He just needed a place that wasn't trying to beat him into the ground. Wade nodded slowly. He understood the truth behind her words, and the weight carried inside them. The morning moved on.
Seiya prepared a simple meal in the cabin, while Wade showed Taza how to tap the ground ahead of him with a short stick, checking for holes or hidden snakes before stepping forward. The boy copied every movement carefully. He watched Wade with the same seriousness he had once used, simply to hold on to life. Seiya stood in the doorway and watched them, her son learning, Wade teaching him. The sight stirred something inside her that she could no longer deny.
When Wade realized she was watching, he lowered the stick and walked toward her. You've got something on your mind." " Yes," Seiya admitted. She looked down at her hands, uncertain how to begin. I promised myself I would leave when he recovered, she said.
That was always the plan. Wade waited. He did not move closer. Did not try to reassure her. He simply gave her room to speak when she was ready.
But now, she continued, looking back toward Taza, who was drawing shapes in the dirt with the stick. I see him breathing without pain. I see him learning. I see him safe. Something tightened in Wade's chest.
Not pain. Something heavier. Something he had spent years refusing to carry. Hope mixed with responsibility. That's what matters, he said.
Seiya raised her eyes to his. I thought leaving was the only way to protect him, she said. But walking away from this place doesn't feel like protection anymore. Wade held her gaze without saying a word. He did not want to push her toward a choice that had to belong entirely to her.
Seiya continued, her voice steadier now. You turned down what I offered. You gave us shelter and asked for nothing in return. You never demanded what other men would have demanded. That changed the way I see this place.
Wade let out a slow breath. You don't owe me an explanation for staying," he said. " But if you stay, it'll be because you chose to, not because you think you have to. Seiya looked toward the cabin, then the fence. Then the wide stretch of open country beyond it.