Chapter 51: Wings I Still Long For

Butterfly

Of everyone I have lost,
it is Butterfly I miss the most.
Her absence feels louder in moments like these —
when Oak is left standing against storms
he should never have to endure.

How I wish she was still here,
to bring balance, to bring calm,
to soften the edges of a house that now feels broken.
She would have known how to steady him,
how to guide him,
how to remind him of love that is gentle.

Instead, he faces Viper.
I watched in anger as she raised her voice,
as doors slammed,
as she pushed a man who already carries
a heart too fragile to bear more weight.
No one deserves that — not even Oak.

Yes, it is true — he reaps what he has sown.
This is not his first remarriage,
and perhaps the choices of the past
have brought him to this moment.
But never, never to this extent.

I find myself hoping he lets go,
that he finds the strength to cut away
what poisons instead of heals.
I hope he chooses peace
over chaos,
because life is too short
for battles that only wound the heart further.

And in all of this,
I miss Butterfly more than words can hold.
Her light, her presence,
her way of making things bearable.
Without her, the weight feels heavier,
and I am left wishing for wings
that will never return.