Chapter 79

The morning sunlight streamed through the wide windows of Amelia’s sitting room, spilling golden warmth across the plush cream rug where the two bassinets sat side by side. The quiet hum of domestic life filled the air: the low rustle of Beth folding baby clothes, Hazel’s soft giggles as she dangled a rattle above one of the twins, and Ryan’s low voice humming some cheerful tune from the kitchen as he set the kettle to boil.

Ryan had insisted on settling some stuff in the kitchen since Mrs. Harlow wasn’t in at the moment, although Amelia had tried to stop him, but she couldn’t, he insisted.

Amelia leaned back against the couch, exhaustion painted across her delicate features though her eyes never strayed far from her babies. Ethan and Evan, her boys, her pride, her new strength. Every gurgle, every tiny stretch of their arms tugged at something deep within her, something that reminded her why she had chosen this path: to build a life without Adrian, to prove she was whol