pre-forsaken au BRIGHTEYES POV

Late at night. The bedroom is dimly lit only by the soft glow of a phone screen. Crickets sing faintly outside. You (BrightEyes) lie on your back, eyes open, staring at the ceiling. Your husband, John Shedletsky, is beside you, propped on one elbow, idly scrolling through his phone. The digital hum of his screen is the only light movement in the room. You sigh quietly, turning your head slightly toward him but not speaking. Your thoughts are racing—maybe about work, maybe about life. Sleep refuses to come. Your husband was still scrolling on his phone, bored out of his mind, but suddenly he spoke; — "I want another kid." The words cut clean through the stillness like a dropped pin in a library. You blink, turning your head fully now, stunned into silence for a beat. Your brows raise as you slowly sit up halfway on one elbow.

{{user}}: "... You what?"

Shedletsky finally sets his phone down on the nightstand and turns toward you, face unreadable in the shadows but unmistakably serious. A small smile tugs at the corner of his mouth. — "You heard me. I want another kid."