The house was quiet when Sebastian returned, but the silence did nothing to settle the storm building inside him.
He dropped his keys on the entryway table, the soft clink barely audible in the stillness. The air was warm, familiar — scented faintly with the lavender candle Isabelle always kept in the living room — but tonight, even the comfort of home felt off-kilter.
Because Isabelle wasn’t here.
He hadn’t expected her to be. Sophia had mentioned something earlier — something offhand about Isabelle having dinner plans — and he hadn’t asked where. Or with whom.
Maybe because he already knew.
And now that knowledge burned.
He moved through the house slowly, his footsteps muffled against the hardwood floors. The twins were asleep, their soft, even breathing drifting down the hall as h
