Kayla's Aunt pov
I heard the front door open before Kayla called out, her voice tighter than usual, and I knew, the way you know these things without needing to be told, that today was the day I'd finally have to explain myself.
"Aunty. Can we talk?"
I was already sitting at the kitchen table when she found me, the photograph she'd shown me yesterday still tucked in the drawer where I'd hidden it, though I suspected we both knew exactly why she'd come home early.
"Sit," I said, gesturing to the chair across from me.
She did, watching me carefully, braced for something far larger than what I actually had to give her.
"I owe you an explanation," I said. "And I'm sorry I scared you yesterday. That wasn't fair."
"Aunty—"
"Let me get through it," I said gently. "Please."
She nodded, fo
