One month feels like forever when you're waiting for a ghost to reappear. I stare at the ceiling fan spinning lazily above my bed, counting rotations while Rose rubs my chest and Lilly reads something on her phone, her back pressed against my side.

The muffled voices from the kitchen drift up through the floorboards, Victoria's authoritative tone, Margaret's gentler cadence, and my mother's clipped responses. They've been down there for almost an hour now, discussing Chris's future like they're negotiating a business deal.

"Do you think your mom will agree?" Rose asks, propping herself up on one elbow to look at me. Her auburn hair falls in a curtain around her face.

I shrug, trying to seem more casual about this than I feel. "Hard to say. She might be relieved to have one less responsibility."

"She'd still be his mother," Lilly points out without looking up from her phone. "Just not his primary caregiver."

"Yeah, well, she hasn't been much of either for years," I mutter.

The past month has been a strange limbo. After that dinner at the Harris house, Mom asked me to take the rest of my first semester off to watch Chris. So I called Salem State, explained my "unforeseen family circumstances," and was surprised by how quickly they approved my deferment. Apparently, being a man in need of accommodations opens a lot of doors in this world.

"I miss seeing you on campus," Lilly says, finally setting her phone aside. "It's not the same without you there."

"The dining hall food tastes worse without you," Rose adds with a smirk.

I laugh despite the knot in my stomach. "At least you two still visit every day."

And they do. Between classes, after classes, weekends, they're here so often that Chris has started calling them his "bonus sisters." It's sweet, but also a reminder of how quickly things are changing.

"Do you think she'll ever come back?" I ask quietly, the question that's been haunting me for weeks finally slipping out.

Neither twin responds immediately. Rose's fingers pause their movement on my chest, and Lilly shifts closer, her warmth seeping through my shirt.

"I don't think so," Lilly finally says, her voice gentle but firm. "It's been a month, Seth. No contact, no sightings. The police have basically stopped looking."

"Chris still asks about her," I say, staring at the ceiling again. "I don't know what to tell him anymore."

Rose props herself up higher, her green eyes searching my face. "You tell him the truth. That sometimes people leave and don't come back, but he still has you. He still has us."

The sound of footsteps on the stairs makes all three of us sit up straighter. There's a light knock on my bedroom door before it creaks open, revealing Margaret's face, her expression unreadable.

"Seth? They'd like you to join them downstairs," she says softly.

My heart hammers against my ribs as I disentangle myself from the twins. This is it, whatever decision my mother has made about Chris's future is about to be revealed. I feel Lilly squeeze my hand once before letting go.

"We'll be right here," she promises.

I follow Margaret down the stairs, each step feeling heavier than the last. In the kitchen, my mother sits at the table, her posture rigid as always, a cup of untouched coffee in front of her.

Victoria stands at the head of the table, arms crossed, while Mom clutches a pen like it's a weapon. The tension in the room is thick enough to cut with a knife.

As I slide into the empty chair, Mom's eyes lock onto mine. Her face is a storm of anger and disappointment.

"Seth," she says, her voice tightly controlled, "is this truly what you believe is best for Christopher?"

I meet her gaze, suddenly finding strength I didn't know I had. "Mom, for the past month, we've been eating dinner with the Harris family four times a week. Chris has spent weekends at their house. And you didn't know any of that because you're never around."

The words hang in the air between us. Mom's knuckles go white around the pen as she inhales sharply.

"So this," she says, gesturing to the papers spread across the table, "is what you genuinely believe is best for your brother?"

I glance at Victoria, whose face remains carefully neutral, then at Margaret, whose eyes are filled with compassion. This isn't about choosing sides. It's about giving Chris the childhood he deserves.

"Yes," I say firmly. "I think Margaret and Victoria would be better parents than either you or even I are capable of being right now. Chris needs stability, attention, and people who can actually be there for him."

Mom looks like I've slapped her. The betrayal in her eyes makes my stomach twist, but beneath that, I catch a flicker of something else, understanding. Maybe even relief.

She stares down at the documents for a long moment before sighing heavily. "Fine," she mutters, and without another word, she begins signing her name on the dotted lines.

Victoria steps forward quickly. "Mrs. Miller, please wait. You don't have to sign these tonight. You should have your lawyer review them first."

Mom looks up, a bitter smile tugging at her lips. "I am a lawyer, Victoria."

"Yes, but not with a focus on custody," Victoria counters gently. "This is an important decision. You should take time to consider all aspects."

Mom's pen hovers over the last signature line. "I've been considering it my entire career," she says quietly. "Every case I took meant time away from my children. Every promotion meant another missed birthday. I've made my choices."

Victoria leans forward, her posture stiff and formal. "Mrs. Miller, I need to be absolutely clear about what you're signing. This grants us full custody of Christopher. You understand that, correct?"

Mom sets down her pen with a sharp click against the table. "We've spent the last hour discussing this in excruciating detail, Victoria. I'm fully aware of what I'm signing away."

Margaret steps closer, her face creased with concern. "Diane, this isn't meant to be a rash decision. Perhaps you should sleep on it…"

"This isn't a rash decision," Mom interrupts, her voice hollow. She looks up, and I'm struck by the expression on her face. It's the saddest I've ever seen her, which, honestly, still isn't that sad, more like resigned defeat with a hint of relief around the edges. "This has been years in the making."

She picks up the pen again and signs the final page with a quick, decisive stroke. The scratch of a pen against paper sounds deafening in the quiet kitchen.

"There," she says, pushing the stack toward Victoria. "It's done."

Mom taps the stack of papers with her fingertips. "Go get Christopher," she says quietly. "And your girlfriends, too. They should be here for this."

Victoria leans forward, her expression softening slightly. "Diane, he doesn't have to sleep at our house tonight. This is a big change, we can take things slowly."

"No," Mom says firmly, shaking her head. "Let's not drag this out any longer than necessary. It's better this way."

I nod and head upstairs, my heart pounding in my chest. When I push open my bedroom door, I’m surprised to see three pairs of eyes immediately lock onto me. Chris is now sitting between Rose and Lilly on my bed, his small legs dangling off the edge as they show him something on Lilly's phone.

"Hey buddy," I say, trying to keep my voice steady. "Mom wants us all downstairs."

"Is everything okay?" Lilly asks, her eyes searching mine.

I give a small nod. "She signed the papers."

Rose's eyes widen slightly, but she quickly masks her surprise with a gentle smile directed at Chris. "Come on, squirt. Let's go see what's happening."

I hold out my hand, and Chris takes it without hesitation. His palm feels impossibly small in mine as we make our way downstairs. I keep him close to my side, a protective arm around his shoulders. The twins follow behind us, their footsteps silent on the carpeted stairs.

When we enter the kitchen, Mom is still sitting at the table, the signed papers neatly stacked in front of her.

To my complete shock, Mom slides off her chair and kneels down to Chris's level. She's never done that before, not once in all the years I can remember. She's always spoken to him from her full height, like he's just a smaller adult.

"Mom?" Chris says, his voice small and uncertain.

Mom holds out her arms, something I've never seen her do either. "Come here, Christopher," she says softly.

Chris looks up at me, confusion written across his face. I give him a gentle nudge forward, and he walks slowly into Mom's outstretched arms.

She wraps him in what has to be the tightest hug I've ever seen her give anyone. Her eyes are shining with tears that hover precariously but don't spill over. She's fighting hard to maintain her composure, but I can see the strain in the tight lines around her mouth.

"I'm sorry," she whispers against his hair.

Chris pulls back slightly, his brow furrowed in confusion. "For what, Mom?"

Mom struggles to find the words, her lawyer's eloquence failing her completely. "For not being the mother you deserved," she finally manages.

Chris looks at Mom with those big, innocent eyes that never fail to make my heart ache. "But I love whenever I see you," he says, his voice small but earnest.

Mom takes a deep breath, visibly composing herself. For a moment, I think she might break down completely, but she pulls herself together with visible effort. She gestures toward Margaret and Victoria, who stand watching with matching expressions of gentle patience.

"Christopher, you know Margaret and Victoria Harris, right?" she asks, her voice steadier now.

"Yeah!" Chris's face lights up immediately. "We have dinner at their house all the time! Margaret makes the best chicken ever, and Victoria showed me her collection of medical books with all the cool pictures of bones. And they have this huge backyard with a tree that's perfect for climbing, even though Rose says I'll break my neck if I try to get to the top branch, but I think I could totally make it if…"

"Chris," I cut in gently.

Mom places her hands on Chris's shoulders, redirecting his attention. "Well, they really want to be your mothers too," she says softly. "They want you to live with them, in their house. Would you like that?"

Chris's eyes widen as he processes this information. He looks at me, then at the twins, then back to Mom. "Like... forever?"

Mom nods, her voice softening in a way I've never heard before. "Yes, Christopher. They'll be your new family now. They want to give you the home I never could, with family dinners, bedtime stories, and parents who are actually there."

I watch my little brother's face, trying to gauge his reaction. His eyes widen, darting between Mom and the Harris women, processing this life-changing information.

"But what about Seth?" Chris asks, his small voice wavering with uncertainty. "Does he get to come too?"

Margaret steps forward, kneeling beside Mom. "Seth can visit whenever he wants. Our home will always be open to him."

"And we already told him he can move in too if he wants," Victoria adds, her usually stern face softening as she looks at Chris.

Chris turns to me, his eyes searching mine for reassurance. "Seth? Is this okay?"

I swallow the lump in my throat. "Yeah, buddy. It's more than okay. The Harris family can give you everything we couldn't, a real home, with people who are actually there for dinner every night."

Chris's brow furrows as he looks back at Mom. "But you'll still be my mom too, right?"

"Of course. I'll always be your mother, Christopher. But Margaret and Victoria will be your mothers too. They'll take care of you day-to-day, the way I should have."

"Think of it as having three moms instead of one," Rose chimes in, her voice gentler than usual. "Plus two awesome sisters."

Chris's eyes grow wide, reflecting the kitchen lights as he processes everything. He turns back to Mom, his little hands fidgeting with the hem of his t-shirt.

"Do you still love me, Mom?" he asks, his voice so small it nearly breaks me.

Mom pulls him back into her arms, hugging him tighter than I've ever seen. For a moment, she presses her face into his hair, and I swear I see her shoulders tremble.

"Listen to me, Christopher," she says, pulling back just enough to look him in the eyes. "The only reason I'm letting Margaret and Victoria be your new mothers is because I love you so much. More than you could possibly understand right now."

She brushes his hair from his forehead, a gesture so tender it feels almost foreign coming from her.

"Please don't ever forget that, okay?" she whispers. "This is the hardest thing I've ever done, but I'm doing it because it's what's best for you."

Chris nods solemnly. "I promise I won't forget."