Jessica's smile faltered. Before she could respond, the sound of tires on gravel caught our attention. A sleek black town car pulled into the driveway, Nelson Walton emerging from the back seat.
My father-in-law—ex-father-in-law—stood tall despite his seventy years, silver hair gleaming in the morning light. His eyes, the same piercing blue that my sons had inherited, fixed on the doorway where we stood.
"Now the real fun begins," Jessica murmured, triumph edging her voice.
I turned to my sons. "Boys, go back upstairs with Tina. Now."
"But Mom—"
"Now, Alex."
As they reluctantly retreated, I faced the approaching storm. Nelson's purposeful stride. Jessica's smug expression. And somewhere across the ocean, Michael, still unaware that his carefully constructed world was about to implode
