Chapter 16

Kelly POV

The faint hum of the coffee machine in the corner of the kitchen couldn’t drown out my restless thoughts. My mind keeps drifting back to Aiden again no matter how hard I try. The image of his face, his deep, accusing eyes, played on an endless loop in my mind.

It had been five years. Five long years since I last saw him. He had grown taller, leaner—his cheekbones sharper, his features a spitting image of Father’s, though his lips had the fullness of my own. Aiden was no longer the little boy I remembered. He was a young man now, but I couldn’t help but picture him as the boy who used to hug me tight before bedtime, whispering, “Goodnight, Mommy. I love you.”

“Mommy?” Harper’s voice pulled me out of my spiral. She stood in the doorway, clutching her favorite stuffed dinosaur. Her bright eyes stared at me, a mix of concern and curiosity.

“Are you sad?”

I quickly composed myself, forcing a soft smile.

“No, sweetheart. I was just thin