Nicole’s POV
By the time we arrived home, the triplets had drifted off, their small bodies leaning heavily against each other in the backseat, exhaustion finally overtaking their boundless energy. I understood the feeling all too well. The day’s weight hung on my shoulders, and every step felt heavier than the last. My entire being was drained, my heart aching from all that had happened. And as I looked at Nathan, carrying one of our sleeping children into the house, I saw that same weariness on his face—something deeper than just exhaustion.
But what worried me more was the distance in his eyes. He was pulling away, and I could feel it like a physical wound. His silence had grown heavier, and he seemed unreachable in a way that frightened me. I knew that pain; I’d lost my mother too, a
