Thor and Celina left the hospital. The checkup had gone smoothly—she and the babies were healthy, and the stitches had been removed. Thor drove with one hand on the wheel and the other wrapped firmly around Celina’s, as if that simple touch was the anchor tying him to the reality—and the future—they were building together.

Celina, watching the movement of New York’s streets through the window, decided to touch on a delicate subject. She knew it had to be now, that Thor needed to hear it with hi