Dominic
Getting Leana to leave was not easy. Nothing about that night was easy.
She stood in the living room with the baby pressed against her chest, rocking him back and forth like she was daring me to say something wrong. The guards hovered near the door, unsure if they were allowed to intervene, unsure whose side they were supposed to be on. Madelyn was nowhere in sight, which somehow made everything worse because I could feel her absence like a weight pressing on my ribs.
“Just for tonight,” I said, keeping my voice steady even though my head was pounding. “Take him home. I will come talk to you later.”
Leana looked at me like she did not believe a single word. Her eyes were red, her makeup smudged, and the baby let out a soft whine that made her tighten her hold.
“You always say
