“Of course,” she snapped. “Of course you can’t do something simple without creating a mess.”
Elias murmured a shaky apology. Naomi held her rabbit tighter.
“That ridiculous toy,” Vanessa hissed, snatching it away. “You’re not a baby. Grow up.”
Naomi stared down, tears silently falling. Aaron rose halfway — instinct, courage, love — until Vanessa sliced the air with her voice.
“Sit. Down.”
And he did. Because children learn the shape of danger fast.
Behind the study door, Miles’ world split open.
But he forced himself to wait.
He needed truth.
Not rage. Not assumptions.
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