Chapter 241. The Twins’ Rage

“A raccoon took it, Mom!” Dwayne blurts out, his eyes wide with the excitement of his lie. “We were waiting for Uncle Carter, and this raccoon just grabbed it and ran off!”

“A raccoon?” Lara repeats, her disbelief evident. She looks from Zayn to Dwayne and then to Chris, who struggles to maintain a neutral expression.

“Yeah, a raccoon,” Zayn adds, nodding vigorously.

“It was really fast, Mom. We couldn’t catch it.” Lara stares at them for a moment longer, clearly unconvinced but too tired to argue.

She lets out a sigh and shakes her head. “You two need to be more careful,” she says, her tone scolding but soft. “Now go wash up before dinner.”

The twins nod and hurry off to the bathroom, leaving Chris alone with Lara. He can feel her eyes on him, sharp and questioning.

Chris takes a deep breath and tries to smile. “Kids, right?” he says with a forced chuckle, hoping to deflect the conversation. Lara doesn’t smile.

“What really happened, Chris?