A tear slid down her cheek as she kissed each child’s forehead. She wasn’t performing. She didn’t know she was being watched. She looked like someone praying simply to survive.
Ethan stood frozen. He didn’t feel anger—only shock. It had been a long time since he’d seen that kind of tenderness in his home.
He quietly stepped back, closed the door louder than necessary, then returned. Naomi jumped up, startled.
“Mr. Caldwell,” she said nervously, smoothing her blouse. “I’m so sorry. They were fussy. I was just trying to calm them. I didn’t mean any disrespect. I can make you lunch.”
Ethan swallowed. “Thank you,” he said softly. “For being here. For caring about them.”
She blinked, surprised, then nodded and went to the kitchen.
That night, his wife came home.
Vanessa Caldwell entered carrying designer shopping bags, polished and distant. She didn’t greet the girls. Lily tugged at her leg, but Vanessa brushed her aside without looking up from her phone.
During dinner, Ethan noticed a message flash on her screen. A name—Julien—followed by a red heart.