ELLA
I smoothed the folds of my dress as I stepped into the house. Everything was too… domestic. Too cozy. Too wrong. The smell of baked bread—or maybe it was some candle—hit me, and I suppressed a sigh. I’d been here before, but Ace hadn’t been home then. This time, I intended to assert myself. To make it clear that I was not some visitor, that this house, this child, this man—all of it—belonged with me.
I found them in the living room. Lily. And Alice. The girl’s small hands clutched a wooden block, eyes shining with excitement as Lily crouched in front of her, helping her build something that looked like it would collapse any second.
Perfect. I’d been expecting some child under her control, or at least someone who respected my authority. Not… this.
I stepped forward, heels clicking
