Ellie POV
The apartment was quiet except for the soft hum of the kettle and the sleepy coos coming from the playpen near the window. The apartment was warm, clean, and quiet.
The twins were both awake, batting at the hanging charms above them, their tiny hands moving with clumsy fascination as they reached for the brightly colored shapes.
I should have felt peaceful.
We were home, really home this time. Back in Moonstone. Back among people who smiled when they saw us instead of whispering. I was working again at the Royal Hospital, my days filled with something solid and useful.
On weekends, Claire still came over for dinner, bringing too many groceries and pretending it was an accident. Everything around me looked exactly how I’d prayed for it to be.
And yet I couldn’t shake the
