He offered to handle tasks without waiting to be asked.
He paid attention when Elena spoke about her day.
And instead of assuming that every conversation needed to end with a solution, he sometimes simply listened.
Elena responded in her own way.
She began asking Carlos about his feelings rather than only discussing the practical demands of his job.
She noticed when he seemed overwhelmed and encouraged him to talk.
Sometimes they disagreed.
Sometimes they were both too tired for meaningful conversation.
Their relationship did not become perfect.
But they stopped treating exhaustion as a reason to remain emotionally distant.
One evening, after Mateo had fallen asleep, Elena suggested they sit outside for a few minutes.
They carried two cups of tea onto the small porch.
The neighborhood was quiet.
A gentle breeze moved through the trees.
Carlos looked at his wife.
"Remember when we used to do this all the time?"
