Just as Mabel's furious warning echoed through the living room, the front door swung open.
Marcus stepped inside.
He had stepped out to the garage to take an important phone call, delaying his return. Never in a million years had he expected to find his mother standing in the middle of his home.
The Hale family never paid surprise visits.
Every visit was arranged in advance with a phone call, a tradition they had followed for years.
That certainty was precisely why Marcus had felt safe bringing Sophie into the house.
The moment his eyes met Mabel's, his mind went blank.
"Mom..." he said, stunned. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming?"
Mabel whirled toward him, her face dark with fury.
"So this is how you planned to keep fooling me?"
Her voice shook with barely restrained anger
