_Avery's POV_
The house was quiet as the day drifted into evening. I stood in the kitchen, chopping vegetables and stirring a pot of soup. The soft bubbling sound filled the silence, but it wasn’t enough to calm my nerves. Liam was still asleep upstairs, and the fact that he had been out for so long made me uneasy. Had he not slept the night before? Or was something else going on?
I shook my head, focusing on the task at hand. The soup was coming together nicely—a simple chicken and vegetable recipe that my mom used to make. It smelled comforting, familiar, and I hoped it would ease some of the tension hanging in the air.
Just as I was about to taste the broth, my phone buzzed on the counter. It was my mom.
“Hi, Mom,” I answered, trying to sound cheerful.
“Avery, sweetheart, how are y
