Chapter 230

• Richard's POV
• I came home late again. The quiet house greeted me with a weight that I couldn’t shake off. The soft hum of the refrigerator and the faint sound of the twins’ cartoon theme song still echoing in the living room felt like accusations.
• I glanced at the clock as I dropped my keys on the counter—9:47 PM. Too late for bedtime stories, too late for explanations. Amelia would have questions, and I wasn’t ready to give her answers I didn’t even have.