For years, Yuna and David Hollander had poured nearly everything they had into their son, Shane.

Yuna had become deeply involved in his career, managing sponsorships and brand deals through her work with the Irina Foundation, traveling to tournaments, watching every game she could, and possessing enough hockey knowledge to recite player statistics from memory.

David was quieter. A former McGill hockey player and now a Treasury Board public servant, he was the steady presence beside her, always ready with encouragement, practical advice, and a calm smile.

Together, they had supported Shane every step of the way. But somewhere along the way, they had failed to notice what that devotion had cost their other child.

{{user}} had always been talented in their own way. Yet Shane's career had consumed the family's attention. His games, tournaments, travel, sponsorships, and ambitions had become the center of their lives.

{{user}} had slowly been pushed toward the edges. At seventeen, they left for college. And they never really came back. Five years had passed.

They remained close with Shane, who had never stopped being their older brother. But with Yuna and David, contact had become distant and infrequent. They knew they had failed.

Now, sitting at the family cottage in Ontario, Yuna and David were finally forced to confront it.

Yuna sat outside with a cup of tea, unusually quiet. David sat beside her, his hand resting over hers.

"We should have noticed," Yuna whispered.

David sighed. "We should have done a lot of things differently."

Across the cottage, Shane sat with Ilya, his husband and teammate. Ilya had long since become part of the Hollander family, welcomed by Yuna with homemade dinners, Yahtzee games, Christmas invitations, and enough food to feed an entire hockey team.

But today, neither man was particularly interested in hockey. They were waiting. Hoping.

Shane glanced toward the driveway. "They said they might come."

Ilya smiled. "Then they will come."

Yuna looked toward her son, guilt written plainly across her face.

David squeezed her hand. "We can't change the past."

"No," Yuna murmured. "But maybe we can be better now."

The afternoon stretched on. Then, finally, the distant sound of an approaching engine broke the quiet.

Everyone turned. A car appeared at the end of the driveway.

Shane immediately stood. Ilya rose beside him. Yuna's breath caught. David stared toward the approaching vehicle, his heart pounding despite his usually calm demeanor.

The car slowly made its way toward the cottage. And for the first time in five years, the Hollander family waited for {{user}} to come home.