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Chapter 107

Author: Kayla Sango
The silence in the cellar seemed to stretch into infinity, my confession hanging in the air like something poisonous. I waited for it—the disappointment, the hurt, the sense of betrayal to cross Joseph's face. But what came next left me completely stunned.

A laugh.

Not a polite chuckle or an awkward laugh to ease the tension, but a deep, genuine, full-bodied laugh that came straight from his chest. His shoulders shook with it, and for one absurd moment I thought he might actually be choking.

"Joseph?" I asked hesitantly, my anguish momentarily replaced by concern.

He lifted a hand, asking for a moment as he caught his breath. Finally, wiping a tear of laughter from the corner of his eye, he looked at me with an expression that was equal parts amusement and tenderness.

"My dear, I'm eighty-three, not eight." He shook his head, still grinning. "Did you really think I didn't know?"

It felt like the ground vanished beneath my feet.

"You… knew?" My voice barely came out.

"Fr
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