“Our house now,” Elowyn corrected softly, squeezing my hand. “Blue sounds perfect. We’ll pick the shade together.”
Then I had to leave for a week-long business trip—my first big one since the wedding. I worried about leaving them while everything was still so new.
“You’ll be fine,” Elowyn assured me, handing me a coffee mug. “And so will we. Arden and I will have some girl time.”
“We’re going to paint my nails, Daddy!” Arden shouted as I bent to kiss her forehead.
Everything seemed fine. But when I returned, Arden nearly tackled me, trembling like she had after Maris passed.
“Daddy, new mom is different when you’re gone,” she whispered.
My heart skipped. “What do you mean, sweetie?”
Arden’s lip quivered. “She locks herself in the attic. I hear weird noises up there. It’s scary, Daddy! And she says I can’t go in, and… she’s mean.”
I stayed calm. “Mean how?”
“She makes me clean my whole room alone, and she won’t let me have ice cream, even when I’m good. I thought new mommy liked me, but…” Arden sniffled, burying her face in my chest.
