Time ticked on, each minute a step closer to their return.
Would they come back different? Would I?
In the distance, a car door slammed, the sound cutting through the quiet.
I sat up, heart pounding, listening as footsteps approached.
The front door opened, the kids spilling into the house, their laughter filling the space.
My husband followed, his expression unreadable, a mask I couldn’t penetrate.
“How was it?” I asked, trying to keep my voice light, casual.
“Good,” he replied, a single word that felt like a wall between us.
Our daughter glanced at me, her eyes holding a secret I couldn’t reach.
The tension in the air was palpable, a thread pulled taut.
I forced a smile, the corners of my mouth aching with the effort.
The kids disappeared into their rooms, the house settling into an uneasy calm.
I stood there, my husband’s eyes on me, waiting for something, anything to break the silence.
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