[NIVEA – soft, broken voice]
I was the sky when the storm had no end
A woman who buried her pain deep in her hands
Hayden… you were my first ache,
But also the hope I clung to when I couldn't break
I stood between you and the flames,
Took the hits, the shame, the blame
But you... looked at me like I was the cause
You said, “You should’ve never brought me into this.”
And still, I stayed… I always stayed.
Aiden… my quiet light,
The only warmth in this frozen night
I held you and ran from the shadows chasing me
But I could never run far enough
Yet I loved you both—
Till my final breath, till I had no more to give.
---
[AIDEN – voice soft, emotional, trembling]
Mom… you were the only place that ever felt like home
You smiled even when you bled,
And I watched you fade for us,
For him... and for me
I tried to save you
I tried to change fate
But no matter what I did,
I was always too late
Hayden… you were my world before I knew what pain was
I thought you were a hero
But I became the villain in your story
Because I existed
Because I breathed
And now I carry the guilt
Of simply being born
---
[HAYDEN – voice cold but cracking underneath]
I was never a child
I was a wound wrapped in skin
A test subject with my mother’s eyes
And a monster with my father’s grin
You called it love—
That look in your eyes
But to me, it felt like chains and lullabies
Aiden…
You were the reason he looked at me with hate
He said, “Protect your brother,”
Then beat me to teach you what strength was
I blamed you
I blamed her
I burned every bridge I never crossed
But… I never threw away your gift
I kept it—like a relic
Like proof that I still had something human left
---
[NIVEA – faint, soft like a memory]
I’m sorry I wasn’t the wall
I’m sorry I couldn’t stop it all
But I loved you through the bruises
I loved you through the silence
Even when your eyes were cold
You were always my son
---
[AIDEN – emotional outburst]
Mom!! Please don’t go
You’re all I had, you were my soul
Hayden, tell me I wasn’t the reason
Tell me I wasn’t… the demon
---
[HAYDEN – quiet, a whisper in the dark]
You weren’t
And she wasn’t weak
We were just born into fire
And we never got out
Mom…
I never told you
But you were the only one I ever prayed for
Aiden…
I never hated you
I hated seeing myself in your tears
---
[ALL TOGETHER – soft overlapping voices]
We were three in the fire
Each burning in our own way
But we…
We never forgot
We never stopped loving
Even in silence
Even in ruin
We were still a family
Shattered…
But real.