“Mom, how come you're home so early today?” Ella asked, all curious.
Ethan perked up too, tilting his tiny head, clearly waiting for an answer. They’d been back for a month now, and Maria hardly ever left work this early.
Maria had prepared herself to tell them, but staring at their innocent faces, the words just wouldn’t come out. She pressed her lips together. “I’ll explain once we get home, okay?”
“Okay!” Ella chimed in sweetly.
By the time they got home, Amanda wasn’t back yet. Instead, the phone rang—it was Daniel calling Ethan.
The two kids missed their uncle a ton after not seeing him for a few days, so they dashed into their room to chat on the phone.
Laughter echoed from that little room, but Maria didn’t feel any lighter. Honestly, if it were just about her go
