Chapter 65

• Alexis
• Standing by the doorway, I plastered on a fake smile that could have been sold at a dollar store. Byron’s return didn’t fill the house with warmth; it cast a dark, brooding shadow. He stepped in like he owned the place—not just the house, but the air we breathed as if the world revolved around his sulking presence.
• Valen, of course, was oblivious to the tension. “Daddy! Daddy!” he squealed, his voice full of innocent joy as he descended the stairs.