Chapter 72: Bitter Reality
XENOIS
I woke that morning with a sense of purpose I hadn't felt in months. Today was the PTA meeting, and I was determined to show up for my family in a way that apparently the old version of me never had. I'd already informed Dmitri and Sloane that I wouldn't be coming into the office, and I'd done something I almost never did—I turned off my phone completely.
The world could burn for one day. Today was about my sons.
I went to wake the triplets myself, something that still felt novel and wonderful. Troy was already half-awake when I entered their room, while Lake was sprawled across his bed like a starfish, and Soren had somehow ended up sleeping upside down with his feet on his pillow.
"Rise and shine, gentlemen," I said, opening the curtains to let morn
