He stepped out of the car and walked inside without removing his coat, drawn forward by voices that should not have been so happy in a house like this. His polished shoes made no sound on the imported carpet, yet every step felt like a heartbeat growing louder in his ears. When he reached the dining room doorway, he stopped as if an invisible wall blocked his path.
Inside, his two children, Aiden and Zoe, sat at the large oak table, their faces smeared with chocolate and powdered sugar. Between them stood Natalie Finch, the housekeeper he had hired three years earlier. She wore a simple green dress beneath her apron, her hair tied back neatly, her sleeves dusted with flour. A homemade cake sat on the table, lopsided and imperfect, decorated with sliced fruit and melting cream. The children clapped while Natalie pretended to bow, laughing with a joy that filled every corner of the room.