“I can’t explain it, but please trust me,” I finally answered Sebastian. “I just have this feeling.”

He looked unconvinced at first, his expression skeptical, but his features quickly softened. Before I could react, he leaned in for a quick kiss, then immediately pulled back.

“Fine,” he began, his voice taking on that authoritative tone I’d grown accustomed to. “I’ll trust you on this, but if you’re wrong, I’ll make her pay for hurting you.” There was an edge to his words, something dangerously final that sent a chill down my spine.

I accepted this compromise. “Okay, but you’ll see I’m right.”

He didn’t respond verbally, just leaned forward to place a gentle kiss on my forehead before returning to his coffee. We continued talking about nothing particularly important, but it felt good. Really good.

Being near him, talking with him—it felt right. Like coming home after a long day. I loved Sebastian, and this life I had now was everything I’d ever prayed for. So how could I even consider letting go? How could I refuse to grasp this opportunity with both hands?

Not everyone gets a second chance at love. Not every woman gets to see her asshole husband change. Yes, he’d hurt me, but I needed to let go of the past. At this point in our lives, I think we’d both learned our lesson.

We didn’t even realize how long we’d been talking until Leo and Wyatt shuffled into the kitchen. Leo was carrying Phoenix, who was crying silently.

“Did she wake you guys up?” I asked after greeting them and taking Phoenix from Leo’s arms.

“No,” he answered with a yawn. “We were already coming down for breakfast when we heard little cries coming from her room.”

I wrapped her in the blanket I’d brought down and started feeding her. Sebastian didn’t mind me breastfeeding, but Leo did. He still couldn’t handle seeing my boobs. Sebastian and I both found it amusing, but when Leo was around, I tried to cover up to keep him comfortable.

After breakfast, I showered and got ready. It was Sunday, so both Sebastian and Leo would be home. I planned to leave Phoenix with them while I took Wyatt home.

“Ready, sweetheart?” I asked Wyatt as I slipped on my shoes.

“Yes, Aunt Thea.”

After he said his goodbyes to Sebastian and Leo, we left. I drove today, but a guard still followed us as a precaution.

“Did you enjoy your time with us?” I asked.

A bright smile lit up his face. “Of course. I’ve missed you so much, and I’ve missed staying over with Leo. It feels good to have that back.”

From the way he spoke, it seemed this was something that happened frequently in the past. I didn’t mind, because Wyatt was a sweet boy who had already found a place in my heart. He started telling me all the things I’d missed. I listened attentively, but my mind couldn’t help drifting back to Aurora.

I felt like someone was trying to frame her, but who? And why? Was it because she was the only one with an obvious motive? Or was there something else?

“We’re here, Aunt Thea.” Wyatt’s voice pulled me back to reality. I hadn’t even noticed we’d arrived. I parked the car, and we got out. He ran ahead while I followed slowly, trying to clear my thoughts.

The house next door caught my attention. It looked so familiar, but I couldn’t place where I’d seen it before. For some reason, I wanted to go inside and look around. It was really weird to want to enter a stranger’s house.

“Dad!” Wyatt ran inside, calling out.

“In the kitchen!” Jaxon called back.

I followed Wyatt as he darted toward what I guessed was the kitchen. We found Jaxon with a cup of coffee, his laptop and a bunch of files spread out in front of him, wearing glasses. I didn’t know he still wore glasses.