The Man of the House

Lucas trudged up the familiar path to his front door, his backpack weighing heavily on his shoulders. It had been a long day at school, and all he wanted was the comfort of his own room. As he reached for the doorknob, a peculiar sense of unease crept up his spine. Something felt different, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Pushing the door open, Lucas found his mother, Sarah, sitting in the living room, her hands folded neatly in her lap. She looked up as he entered, a tentative smile on her face. "Lucas, honey, I'm glad you're home. We need to talk." Lucas felt his heart skip a beat. He had learned to dread those words, especially in the past two years since his father's passing. Carefully, he lowered his backpack to the floor and joined his mother on the couch, bracing himself for whatever news she had to share. Sarah reached out and squeezed his hand gently. "You know how much I love you, right?" she began, her voice soft and laced with emotion. "And you know that I've been trying to move forward, to find happiness again, after your father..." Lucas felt a familiar lump in his throat at the mention of his father. It had been two long